Traditions

Old Tradition (3 Years): Put up our darling Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving! We still love it even after three whole Christmases!
Old Tradition (51 Years): Attend the Benson Family Christmas Eve Program. . .

. . .where Granny always begins with, "It's Christmastime at our house!" and. . .

. . .where the Nativity Story is gracefully acted out. [Please notice that the wise man, played by Colton, brought the baby some crayons and chocolate while wearing a sideways tie as his headdress and that the angel, played by Bryce, is wearing a shiney wreath on his head and was, at one point, using his lit up cell phone as the star.]

New Tradition: Participate in the Benson Family Gift Exchange! This year, all twenty something of us drew a name. How fun to see what everyone got everyone else!

Old Tradition: Wake up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning and open presents at the Goodwin house! (I may have been a tiny bit tired. OR, maybe I was just getting ready to use the present I just got.)

New Tradition: Bryan finally got a stocking at the Goodwin house this year! Thanks, Mom!

New/Old Tradition: We've always opened presents as a family on Christmas Day with the Allens. This year, however, we did it at our house!

Old Tradition: Bryan and his brothers recieve a matchbox car each year for Christmas from Santa and are still excited about it!

Old Tradition: Take a "One Time A Year Where Everyone Is All Together Allen Family Photo" as Bryan's Dad calls it.

New Tradition: Eat Christmas dinner made by me with the Allens at our house! We had so much fun hosting Christmas and we hope it becomes a fun tradition! Yes, I actually made a full turkey dinner. I'm impressed.

We had a very, very merry Christmas! Most of all, we are so thankful that we were able to spend time with family whom we love so much and are grateful for every single day!

36 Weeks!

• One Batch of Baby Laundry: Done.
• Bassinet Set Up in Mommy & Daddy's Room: Done.
• Baby Room: Almost Finished.
• Entire House Cleaned: Uh. . . Thanks to Bryan, we've made some definite progress.
• Hospital Bag Packed: No.
• First "Check My Business" Doctor's Appointment: Happened.
• Growing Belly: YES!!

34 Weeks:

36 Weeks:

WE CAN'T WAIT!!!

The Real Santa

Each year, at the Goodwin Family Christmas Party, Santa comes - - the real Santa. Each year, when his bells jingle and he bursts through the door, I get just as excited as I did when I was five years old!

After Santa leaves, everyone finds themselves doing the "relax your jaw and move your mouth around" exercise and the "rub your tummy and stand up" exercise to relieve our sore smiling and laughing muscles! Santa comes with a bag full of presents and a night full of laughter! See for yourself why he's so much fun!

Santa Quotes 2008

"You know, I was flying down I-15 headed toward Cedar City, and I saw this shiney billboard from the distance. At first, I thought it was the Superdome. Then, as I got closer, I thought they were making another billboard on top of the billboard. Then, I thought it was just a hat on top of the head. Man, that thing is huge! I could have skiied down that head! Ol' Ed must be gettin' 'a head' in the workplace! He must be usin' his head! Then, I thought they should change the billboard to say, 'Get ahead with Ed!'"
"Where's Cafeteria? Cafeteria? Oh!! I mean, Trey!"

[Still speaking to Trey.] "Come on up here, Uno, Dos."

"Let's see. . .who is this one for? Dion! Where's Dion! Oh!! Celine! That's who it is!"

[Speaking to Danny.] "Oh Danny Boy, the night, the night is ca-alling! Sing with me. SING! You know you want to."

[Speaking to McKay.] "Has anyone ever called you David O.? What do you want for Christmas, DAVID?"

"Where's Dennis? Is he around? Oh, I mean Quade!"

"How about The Sunshine Band? Are they here? I mean Casey!"

"Does anyone need a lamp?"

"I told the reindeer to stay out of this bag!"

[Speaking with Bryce about where he wants to go on his mission next year.] "I'll put in a good word with the prophet to see if we can't get you somewhere good."

[Speaking to Tanner when he told Santa he wanted the Bears to go to the playoffs for Christmas.] "I'll have to use a lot of magic to make that happen."

[Speaking to Bret when he told Santa he didn't know how tall he was.] "Stand up. Put your right arm up. Now your left one. Now shoot your right arm straight up in the air. DO IT! Okay, now I'm gonna flip you over the top of me and you're gonna land in the chair. It's gonna to hurt a lot, but it's gonna be worth it."

[Speaking to Tanner & Bryce after the moms requested a picture with the two future missionaries.] "You two hold this bag. Okay, now act like you're throwing up in the bag! Ho ho ho!!"

"Now every time you look at that picture, people are gonna think we're looking in the bag, but you'll know that we were acting like we were throwing up and that's all that matters."

[Speaking to McCoy as he stood up and 'flew' him all over the room!] "Grab onto my thumbs. This is called the Santa Pack!"

"There's some good snow up at Brian Head now. Do you 'snow' what I mean?"

[Speaking to Megan when she said she wanted a dolly for Christmas.] "Do you want one that laughs and cries? One that will open and shut it's eyes? Okay, now who wants a ball and a whip that cracks?"

[Speaking to Quade when the present that he was about to open was clearly a football.] "Do you want a football? I bet I can make that happen right now. If that's a football, you have to kiss me right on the lips."

[Speaking to my Dad.] "You must be usin' your noggin, Ed! Hey, that's what you get for sitting within arms length of me."

"Where's Ronald? Is Ronald here? I mean, Megan! Has anyone ever called you Ronald Megan?"

[Speaking to Bryce when Bryce told him he'd be in Iraq next year.[ "I'll rack you with my boot right now if you don't tell me truth!"

. . .and that's why we love Santa! Of course, when he leaves, all of the kids are instructed to watch out the back window for his sleigh and Rudolph's nose!

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope your holiday parties prove to be just as much fun as ours! (Even though that's not really possible.)

Who Did It?

Alright, who's the crazy who voted that our sweet little girl won't be here until AFTER January 20? Quit being ridiculous.

SNOW!!!

It's been snowing in Cedar City since last Friday night, and let's be honest, hasn't really stopped since! We bet we have gotten about 20 inches so far and it's still snowing! We love it! These pictures were taken this morning just before I left for work. It feels so much more like Christmas and it looks beautiful!

Most roads have been plowed just enough to let the cars through. Snow drifts appear on each side of the roads. Plus, you better bet that everyone is out on their 4-Wheelers with plows attached!

Once again, Bryan wins the award for best husband ever! Every single morning this week while I'm getting ready, he has woke up an hour before he really has to just to go outside and start my car, scrape the windows, shovel a path from our house to my car door, and shovel the entire driveway so I can get out safely. Thank you so much, Sweets! I LOVE YOU!

Christmas Cheer

Bryan and I spent Monday night playing "Santa's Helpers!" We spent the entire evening making 100 + chocolates! [Note: This chocolate is only available at Christmastime and is something that I look forward to each year.]

Me and Bryan were extra great elves!

See, look at our finished product! Pretzels, peanuts, coconut, and Rice Crispies!

I am happy to report that both elves successfully stayed away from the neighbor chocolates, however, an entire two pans were made just last night to eat all by ourselves. Merry Christmas!

The Big 5-0!

She may only look like she's 23, but my wonderful, beautiful, amazing Mom turned 50 this weekend!

For her birthday, we asked people that we knew to e-mail us a birthday tribute. Although we already knew all of these things about our Mom, it's was fun to see that everyone else knows too!

What Everyone Loves About Shelly:

"I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. You’ve been a great sister-in-law and I appreciate your friendship too."

"She is the perfect blend of strength and courage, compassion and hope, vulnerability and tenderness."

"Shelly is someone I wish I was more like. "

"I would like to say what a great listener your mom is. When I go in her office to chat with her, she is always so willing to just listen to whatever I have to say and she never makes me feel like she is in a hurry or doesn't have time to talk. I love that about her. She also has a great sense of humor! Thanks Shelly for being such a great person and friend!"

"What a wonderful daughter in law you are!! So thoughtful and always volunteering to do something and doing it perfect."

"We cannot begin to express in a brief letter how much we love you, Shelly, but to summarize our feelings – not only have we ever known a more wonderful lady and dear friend – it is difficult to even imagine one!"

"I also see her as a great role model and sister to all of us, who knows how to raise a family upright in the gospel, and I appreciate her stalwart example!"

"I am also thankful for the positive attitude that you have. You are always happy and always encouraging. There are times that your smile and your laugh are so infectious that I can’t help but feel happy."

"Shelly, you’re one in a ba-zillion!! You own my heart forever. You still take my breath away!! I Love you so much sweetie pie! Last but not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!"

I love everything about my Mom, but most of all, I love that I am exactly like her, but 25 years later. That's the best compliment anyone could ever give me! Happy birthday, Mom! I'm so thankful that you are my Mommy! I can't wait to see you as a Granny! I love you clear to the sky!

Bryce Ran A Marathon!

He finished a marathon! That's 26.2 miles. That makes me puke a little in my mouth to even think about doing it. He set a goal to run a marathon on his own just because he wanted to. He trained himself with no help from others. He stuck to the training, even running in the bitter cold at midnight some days. And he ran a marathon!

Congratulations, Bryce! We're so proud of you!

Studly Student

Bryan finished another semester of college! Only one more to go until graduation!! He also landed a new Marketing internship! Click here to read all about it! Congrats, Bryan! I'm so proud of everything you are!

We Got Moves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Oh Baby!

Last time we went to the doctor, he said that I was "measuring a bit large" and had us get another ultrasound. Both Bryan and I instantly grinned from ear to ear when we got to see her! We learned a few things about our daughter this time around:

1. She is still a girl.
2. She has pouty, pretty lips.
3. She may have my nose.
4. She may have Bryan's chin.
5. Her profile is the most beautiful profile we have ever seen in our entire lives!
6. She is very curious. While the technician was looking around, we watched our daughter demonstrate her awesome rooting reflexes by finding the placenta, opening her mouth to it, and then. . .licking it. Yes, she licked her own placenta.

The first picture below is a picture of her lips and nose smooshed up against the uterus. Just imagine yourself smashing your face on the window of your car (I know you've done it). That's what she's doing in the first picture.

The second picture is a picture of her perfect profile! Isn't she gorgeous?

At our doctor's visit on Thursday, we learned that our baby girl may be a bit big, but she is happy and healthy! (Okay, so we don't know that she's happy, but she probably is since she's so pretty.)

Only six more weeks to go! 30 Weeks:

and, 34 Weeks!

She's definitely moving around a lot lately! Our favorite game is called "Set The Remote Control On Chandi's Belly And See How Long It Takes To Get Kicked Off!" She's also had the hiccups a lot lately. Her favorite things include: kicking Bryan's arm in the morning to wake him up, kicking my ribs all day, doing roundhouse kicks, licking her placenta, and getting the hiccups. It's such a miracle to be able to see and feel her moving around! We love every single thing about her and can't wait to meet our little sweetie pie! Oh ya, and I cut my hair off.

Firefighter

Yesterday, two businesses in Cedar City were completely burned in a huge fire. The buildings were just across the parking lot from my work. What a pleasant surprise to be greeted by my Daddy in his full firefighting gear at 8:15 on a Tuesday morning! He even had soot on his hands like in the movies! Obviously, I felt pretty cool that the real live fireman was talking to me. I'm so proud to be my Dad's daughter! Thank you, Dad, for the visit!

I took a picture as he walked away. I just couldn't help it. My daughter buttons were bursting with pride.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! We celebrated Thanksgiving with my Dad's side of the family (aka The Goodwins) at the church in New Harmony.


And, this is why we celebrated at the church - - 72 people in attendance! And, yes, I know who they all are! We had a great time with everyone and shared a lot of laughter!

Bryan and I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are so grateful for our perfect families, for wonderful friends, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and so much more! This year, most of all, we are thankful every single day for our little girl and the blessing that she already is to us. We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be parents to such a sweetie!

Organizing

After all of the showers were over, the baby room started to look a little. . .disasterous. We made an attempt over the weekend to start organizing! After all, only six weeks left!

I'm not gonna lie and say that our daughter has more clothes than me, but she does have more than Bryan.


We may have made an even bigger mess by trying to clean up the old one. Oh well, at least we're started!

As January 15 draws closer and closer, we get more and more excited! We feel so blessed to have this little girl on her way and can't wait to meet her! We already love her so much!

Family Shower

Yes, I had three showers. Three. And, everyone was so thoughtful and generous! The family shower was thrown by Shennie, Mindy, Granny, and most everyone else in the family. Thank you!

The decorations were adorable and the food was delicious! Mindy was rushing around organizing, so I couldn't trick her into a picture. Shennie posed with me for the "Look How Cute The Plates Are" picture.


Then we had to take the traditional "Girl Cousins" picture. We used to be so teeny! "Sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset. . ."


My mom made the most adorable party favors complete with pink M&Ms! Thank you, Mom! They were so cute!


She also got to practice. She can't wait!


Mom Allen came all the way from Panaca! Thank you!

Again, I got so many tiny, cute outfits, sockies, blankies, and diapers! I even think the diapers are so cute! [Notice how I'm holding the tiny outfit gingerly as to not break it.]

Yep, I made another haul!

Me & Mand had to take a sister pic! She's the best sister in the whole, entire world!

We are blessed with such a wonderful family whom we love and adore and so blessed to have them all so close to us. Our hearts are full! Thank you to everyone for the wonderful gifts! We can't wait to see our daughter in all of the cute clothes and socks! We're so excited!

Work Luncheon

Thanks to my wonderful co-workers and friends, Brooke and Crystal, I had a wonderful baby shower luncheon a couple weeks ago! I definitely made another haul!

I had to take a picture of the cutie tiny orange (aka clementine) that Crystal brought to share that morning. Come on, it was a baby orange to start baby day!

The refreshments were so cute and pink, not to mention delicious!

And I definitely made another haul!

Every single new article of clothing that I got was teeny, adorable, tiny, and darling! Thank you to everyone for the perfect gifts!
Thank you, Brooke, Crystal, and anyone else who helped make the luncheon a success! Everyone was so generous and it means a lot that so many people care about our sweetheart! Thank you!