all I want for christmas...

...is a NEW front tooth! Poor Laney slipped in the tub last night and chipped her front tooth. It was sooo sad!! She has only had the dang tooth for like a month. I think I probably shed more tears than she did. And of course it was the weekend of Spring Break so every dentist we called was out of town. When we finally got ahold of someone they told us there is really nothing we can do. I am just praying that it didn't get to the nerve and the tooth doesn't turn gray. I seriously felt like the worst mom ever! Good thing she's so stinkin cute because she's not going to have a tooth for like the next 7 years. I tear up just thinking about it...

F-Y- {Eye}

My sister-in-law Lyndsey is now doing eyelash extensions. She put some on me last week and I love them! They make your lashes look so much fuller and darker, and you can get them at whatever length you want. I am loving not having to ever wear mascara! So if any of you are interested just let me know and I will give you her info. She does such a great job, she will come to your house after your kids go to bed or whatever works best for you. Just thought I'd pass the word along:)

Look "Hoo's" Turning One!

Laney is turning one at the end of this month, but since we will be in Alaska for her birthday we decided to throw her a little party so that our families could help us celebrate. So how did Laney feel about her big day? She hated her cake, liked the presents, but LOVED being the center of attention! Thank you everyone for making this cute girl feel so special!

Whats a party without yummy food?

Grandparents are the best!

I think Marli was more excited for this party than Laney was.

Ok, this picture pretty much sums up how Laney felt about her cake. She really wanted nothing to do with it! We tried feeding it to her, letting her use a fork...nothing worked. She must just be a healthy eater like her mom (haha!)

After the party, all the kids went for a ride in the back of Papa's truck...loved the warm weather while it lasted!

a little fresh air

Reno had to go meet with a recruit down in St. George this weekend so we decided to all tag along for weekend away from the freezing cold. It was so nice to let the kids run around outside, ride bikes and even swim in the pool. Thanks for such a fun weekend everyone! We will definitely have to do it again!!

{little} ladies man - Reno had these cute girls wrapped around his finger as he tested their knowledge of animal sounds
On Sunday we went on some hikes up Snow Canyon. Of course Reno and Troy had to make a competition out of everything so here they are showing off their rock-climbing skills:)


These three had so much fun together. Noah was a good sport being the only boy (besides baby Bowdy) surrounded by some pretty cute girls. Afterall, he is a Goeckeritz so I don't think he minded at all:)
We did get a little girl-time - when the guys got home from golfing, I mean "working", we made a trip over to TJMaxx for a little retail therapy.
Sunday night we decorated Valentine cookies while they guys played pool
Unfortunately the cookies were a little crunchy, butt they sure looked cute!! (pun intended, haha!)

5k for a good cause!

For all you runners out there! My sister-in-law is helping put on a 5k to benefit this sweet family. Here is the info. for anyone who would be interested. If you'd like to know more about there story or would like to donate to the cause you can check it out at http://beanbenefit.blogspot.com/

One of our peers is a BYU student trying to finish his undergraduate degree; his name is Josh Bean. Recently, his wife passed away due to a tragic occurrence with cancer. Josh put his education on hold to care for her and his two children. Josh needs our help because he is working hard to finish his degree, care for his two children, and pay off medical and tuition bills.

We are trying to raise money for Josh because he is SO DESERVING of our help. We are raising this money through a 5k benefit run located at The Shops at Riverwoods in memory of his wife, Janeece. This run will occur onSaturday, February 26, 2011, beginning at 8:00am. We are titling this event “Bean Benefit 5k”.

9 months

They always say "9 months up, 9 months down". All I can say is these last 9 months have gone a whole lot faster and have been a whole lot more enjoyable than the 9 months this little one spent inside my tummy. Laney has brought such a light to our family and brightens our day every time she gives us one of her signature smiles. Here are some of her milestones as she has reached the 9 month mark:

*Started crawling!

*Pulls herself up to stand against the furniture

*Started growing more hair (I promise it is starting to grow, unfortunately only in the back)

*Loves to steal her sisters toys

*Tries to eat her sisters toys, and anything else she finds in her path

*Got her first tooth.

a very princess birthday

Princess Marli just turned 3! This was her eating breakfast the morning of her birthday - Cinderella dress? check! Lucky Charms? check! birthday crown? check! What more could you ask for? Since Marli's birthday is the day after Christmas I try to make a special effort to make her birthday special so it doesn't just seem like an afterthought. There was definitely nothing Christmas-y about this day, it indeed was a VERY princess birthday.

We did a little family party at my parent's house with both of our families. The best part of having a birthday this time of year is that all your family is in town! Even Grandpa Mat extended his stay and braved the cold Utah weather to help celebrate Marli's birthday.

This is Macie and Cooper blowing out Marli's candles for her. For some reason, she has never liked to blow out her candles.

If you ever see Marli at my parents house she will most likely be wearing this pink "diamond dress". As soon as she walks in the door it takes her all of about 5 seconds to run downstairs and put on this dress, along with the matching pink slippers of course.

We waited a week after her birthday to have a little friend birthday party. We started by going to Jump On It where I think Marli was in heaven when she realized all of her favorite friends were going to be there too.

I'm pretty sure we could have skipped the trampolines and just put all the kids on carousels and they would have thought it was the best party ever. This dinky little carousel was the hot spot for these little girls.

After Jump On It we came back to our house for a "princess picnic" with pizza, cupcakes and presents. One thing about Marli is she is very easy to shop for. Anything pink, purple, sparkly or princess and she will love it!

This was one happy 3 year old surrounded by her new loot. All I can say is that spending the day with Marli is like hanging out with my best friend. One part of me can't believe she is already three, and yet the other part of me can't believe she is only three because she talks like she's twelve and I can't imagine a day without her in my life. I love her so much!! Reno and I are amazed at how lucky we are to have such a beautiful, funny, smart, silly and happy little girl. Happy birthday Marli! We love You!!