Christmas fun!

What a great Christmas our family had this year! We started out with drawing names in Matt's family, and having fun trying to come up with ideas for them.

The Monday before Christmas my family did a Peck Family Christmas Party. The kids had a blast playing games like "Open the multiple wrapped candy bar with oven mittens", the "Right, Left, passing present game", and others. We did a quiz on how well we know the Nativity Story, and ate alot of great food!

Christmas Eve came, and the kids opened their pajama's presents that they get every year from mom and dad. They were SO excited for Christmas, that Parker and Oakley told me that they wanted to go to bed at 10:00 a.m. so that they could hurry up Christmas:)

Christmas morning came and the kids had so much fun! They got clothes, barbies, bakugon, littlest pet shop, Mario Kart, and many other presents. They were SO spoiled from their aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We had crepes for breakfast and enjoyed visiting with Matt's family who came out later that day.

We have really been blessed this year. We did cut back on the presents this year so that the kids can understand it is more about giving than receiving. They reminded me time after time this season how much we have to be grateful for, and how giving makes us feel just as good as receiving a present.

I really am grateful for all that we have. We have a home in a great neighborhood with lots of neat neighbors, Matt has a great job that he enjoys, and who take such good care of their employees. We have a car to drive, family to laugh with, a snow blower that works, really....we have alot to be thankful for!

Here's to a fabulous NEW YEAR with many exciting and positive things to come!

Christmas Sweetness

Last night I made little presents for the kids to take to their teachers for Christmas. This morning I told Parker that I was putting his in his backpack. He came running over and tried to make me put it in the front pocket (where it would not fit),so as I unzipped the other part, he grabbed something and held it behind his back. I love the kid, but he has been known to sometimes take candy, toys & air soft guns to school. I asked him what it was and he said "Treats for me." I said "Let me see what you have!" He reluctantly showed a little gift bag with a homemade tag on the front that said "To Katty. Merry Christmas. From Parker." OMGosh!!!! Poor kid had tears in his eyes and was SO embarrassed!! I took him to my room and he showed me that he had taken one of my bracelets that he said "was lying around." It just happened to be one of mine from Hawaii that I love, so we found him another one, some candy, and a box. As he wrapped it again, I saw another note in there that said "Merry Christmas. Sorry it isn't much, it's all I could get." Is that not just the sweetest thing? I left him alone to wrap it all up, and didn't mention it again. Sovic boys don't do well with being embarrassed, so we will pretend it never happened:)

I just love that little guy. He showed me such a cute example of how Christmas is such a special time where we do things to show how much we care and are thinking of others.

P.S. We didn't get out cards out this year, but I love all of you! Thank you for being a part of our lives and have a fabulous Christmas with your loved ones!!!

Nothing Beats.......

Nothing beats waking up the last two morning to see my hubby laying right beside me. Ahhhh, happiness is!!!

Things I am thankful for!

This last weekend gave me alot of time to look around, reflect, and enjoy the things I am thankful for. Here are a few for your enjoyment:)

1. My wonderful/hot/sweet hubby

2. My children and the laughter they bring into our house.

3. My family. We had Thanksgiving at our house this year, and it was so much fun to have them all come out.

4. Vehicles. I don't do wagons very well.

5. Family time. We spent the day as a family on Saturday before Matt left out of town, and it was so much fun!

6. Good friends. I had brunch with two dear/sweet/freaking hilarious friends. I love those girls!

7. Sugar Free Hot Cocoa. Thank you Swiss Miss. My butt also thanks you for not making it so big with the whole sugar free thing:)

8. My husband's job. Great company, steady paycheck. We are blessed!

9. Black Friday Shopping with a newbie. Yes, she survived! We had a blast and didn't take it seriously. We just had fun, and got a few great things for our families.

10. Black Sweater UGG boots. No, I don't have them. But I am thankful for my hubby who WILL remember that I mentioned that I want them for Christmas. I will even take the knock-off's! Thanks babe:P

What are you thankful for?

Happy Birthday to my man!!!

My babe turns 32 today!~ What a hottie he is!

Here are my top 5 reasons why I love this man!

1. He is completely unselfish. I have never met someone who would do anything and everything for his family and others.

2. He constantly is working on being a better person, (I think he is amazing the way he is!). He is always reading self-help books, trying to progress.

3. He will do ANYTHING his family wants to do. He does Disney Princess on Ice, the Circus, Dance recitals, you name it, he is there to support us! (And he is totally a manly man, so it really says something about him:)

4. He tells me how beautiful I am all the time. He really, really loves me.

5. He has to be one of the funniest people I have ever met. He keeps a straight face and says some of the most outrageous things, only to just be kidding around. I love it! Laughing is so good for the soul, and he keeps mine laughing.

I love you babe!

Wedding of the Year!!!

My brother-in-law Shane, married the love of his life, Paige, on

Nov 14, 2009. It was the wedding of the year! They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and later that evening had their reception at Cactus and Tropicals. The night was AMAZING!!!
Aren't they perfect together? She is such a hottie!
My man and me, and my man and his brother. GQ!!

Our happy little family!
Aunt Janet and Oakley. Dad and Mom Sovic.

The beautiful bride and the flower girls:)
Marcie and Aaron.

I love weddings, but this one tops them all! It was such an amazing day. The ceremony at the Temple was so beautiful. Shane and Paige looked so happy, excited and in love. The luncheon was so much fun, and the food was amazing. Then came the reception! That party was off the hook!!!:) Cactus and Tropicals was beautiful! They had Cafe Rio cater and also had all different kinds of cakes and pies. Everyone there seemed to really enjoy themselves.

I love Shane and Paige as a couple. Shane is Matt's brother that I am closest with, and I am so glad to see his life completed now that he has Paige. She makes him the amazing man that he is, and Shane makes Paige the beautiful woman that she is. I am so happy that we have them in our lives! Congrats Shane and Paige!

Happy Birthday Jenny!

See that hottie up there? The redhead with the flower in her hair? That's my friend Jenny. Today is her Birthday! She makes one hot 30 year old wife/mother/friend/aunt/sister. I have been friend's with Jenny since 7th grade. She is one of my BFF's that I went to Vegas with, and the trip would not have been as great as it was had she not come! She is an amazing woman who supports her hubby while he is finishing school. She is a GREAT mother who home school's her children. She is patient, kind, caring, hilarious, beautiful...the list goes on. Happy Birthday Jenny! Love Ya!!!!

Dear little mouse and friends

Dear mouse #2 and friends,

Thank you for taking the time today to visit our family. My hubby Matt really wished that he could have been here for your visit (so do I)!

Thank you for running around the house so the dogs could get their exercise. They have been slacking with the cold weather.

Thank you for helping me get the couch moved. I have been wondering what is under there that needs to be cleaned. I appreciate you running under there twice so that I could lift it up and hold it in the air for the dogs to chase you. Thank you also for running around my legs while holding up the couch. I forgot how loud I can scream.

I did appreciate all the excitement you brought to the house today, but I think we are done with you and your friends visiting for the year. (Including 2010).

Please feel free to tell your friends that they are welcome to visit my friend Emily up the street. Her children love to find you and your friends in their boots that are located in the garage. Please tell Emily I said "Hello"!

R.I.P. little mouse #2

The Sovic Family

Daddy Daughter Night

(This post is for you Jen:)

Matt had mentioned that he wanted to spend more time with the kids when he is in town, so we thought it would be great to start Dad/Kid nights. So Oakley started off. She choose to go bowling, and being the sweet girl she is, she let Taylor come too! Matt bought them pretzels and drinks, and after bowling, he took them to the arcade there to play games. They won tickets and came home with a little stuffed animal each. They were so excited when they came home. They love their dad and jump at any chance to do things with him. I love that he is such a great dad to want to spend one on one time with them. Parker is so excited for his turn. I am sure there will be a Jazz game involved!!

Halloween Candy Needs To Go!!

The Halloween Candy in my house needs to go. NOW!!! It is was too tempting, especially once the kids go to school! HELP!!!

30th Birthday/10th Anniversary

What a huge week it was for me! Turning 30 and having our 10th Wedding Anniversary all in one week was crazysauce!! Matt was in Hawaii, but it still turned out just fine! On my birthday I went and had my hair colored, had a party at my parents, and then went to see Thriller with my sweet friend Mindi and her daughter.

Matt bought me some jewelry in Hawaii for my birthday and our anniversary, and I really felt like my best present was to have him home on Sunday, so I told him not to get me anything else. I was spoiled from friends and family and really just wanted him. He was so cute and sent me the most beautiful bouquet of roses on our Anniversary! What a guy! He also writes the cutest cards, so that also made my day. Our 10 years have flown by, and I look forward to many more years with him!

Hermit??? Me???

Yesterday one of my neighbor's little girls came over to play with Oakley. All the kids were off at their friends house and so I took the little girl back to her house. Her mom (a fabulous friend of mine) said that her husband was telling her that morning that he wondered if I was o.k. Why would he wonder that, you ask?

First off, he wonders because I am outside chatting with all the neighbor's all the time. I can't keep my trap shut. I love my neighbor's, and I love to talk. (Surprise!)Second-The weather is freaking cold!! I like my warmth! Third-Because I am a HERMIT!! J/K, but my neighbor's are starting to think so. I will admit, I do hide away a little bit when Matt is out of town, but not enough to worry about me:)

Let me tell you though.....we stay plenty busy around here. This last week we had cheerleading, 2 softball games, basketball practice, scouts, girl scouts, primary practice at the church, The Enchanted Woods, and play dates. So yes, my neighbors.....you may not see me, but it is because I am running all over the place:)

Vegas Preview!!

A few friends from WAY back in the day, and myself, decided to do a Girl's Trip to Vegas. We all turn 30 within a month of each other, and we each have unique friendships with each other from different times in our lives. We all go back starting in Elem, and until the present. We may have not been in each other's lives all the time throughout the years, but there is a friendship that has stayed the same between all of us. It's as if we talk everyday! Super fabulous girls, I must say:) So our families/hubby's/work were so great to let us take off for a 4 day road trip!

Mindi was our ever so fabulous driver! Crazy girl drove all the way down without letting us give her a break! We had a great time lounging at the pool, getting dressed up and going to dinner, and shopping! I had such an amazing time with the girls, and really enjoyed our 2 A.M. chats. Mindi won big with a $250.00 pay out the night before we came home! What a way to go out!! I love my girls and all the memories we made and I hope we will continue to make many more!

Mindi, still the hottie. Jenny and all her food:)

New Moon Street!! Right by the temple!

Look at my face....I am so spent! But it was SO worth it!

Parkers 9th Birthday!

Parker had his 9th Birthday on the 23rd. I know what you are thinking..."She is way too young to have a 9 year old. She looks amazing!!" Yes, well I had him when I was 11:) Parker is the coolest kid ever. He gives me hugs when Matt is out of town, and tells me "Mom, you are the best mom EVER!!" He's just cool like that:) Matt was out of town for this party, so my parents, 2 Uncles, 2 Aunts, and my bro and sister-in-law came out. We had pizza and hamburger cupcakes. Parker got $35.00 from my uncles and aunts, a rocket launcher from my parents, and lots of other fun things. We really had a great night!

Hamburger Cupcakes

Tasty right?:) We had Parker's family birthday party tonight, and I wanted to make something fun for him instead of the normal cupcakes. So I found this great idea! All it takes it a batch of white cupcakes, a batch of chocolate cupcakes, green and red icing, vanilla extract, and sesame seeds. You cup the white cupcakes in half, you cut the tops off the chocolate cupcakes and cut them in half. Put green frosting on the white cupcake, then a slice of chocolate, add red frosting, then the top of the white. Brush on a little vanilla to the top, and sprinkle on sesame seeds. The kids loved them, and even the adults tried them too!! Trust me, if I can make them, you can too:)

52 Blessings

This is one of my favorite pictures of Matt. He is with his surfing buddies, and that is Matt's Long Board that practically killed him to sell when we moved here. At least it went to a good home:)

Matt by far is the greatest guy I have ever met! He loves me unconditionally which can be a trial at times. He is the hardest worker I have ever met. He goes to work, gets the job done, and comes home. No drama for him, no talking crap, he just sticks to getting the job done. I love that about him! He is an amazing dad. When he is home, he takes time to give the kids the attention they need, and tucks them into bed. Sometimes he will be downstairs talking to Parker forever! He is SO positive! He has a great outlook on life and fantastic goals and dreams! He makes me so excited to see what our future holds! He has had a few trials in life and has handled them head on. He loves life and all it has to offer. He is grateful each day for his job, his family, his house, he doesn't take anything for granted. I love everything about him and how special he makes me feel each day!

Post your Blessing:)

(Thanks for the idea Jen!)

Timpanogos Cave

We made a family goal to hike Timpanogos Cave before the end of summer and we finally did it!! It was a long hike, the kids were tired, but they did great! They give you about 1 1/2 hours to make it up before your scheduled tour, and we made it in 54 minutes! Not too bad with a 5 year old! Parker LOVED the cave and these are his pictures:)


Silly, silly Oakley!
Where is Tay you ask? She is there. Her brother just didn't feel the need to take pics of things he can see everyday:)

Camping with Grandpa and Grandma

My dad grew up in Payson and his family would go camping up Payson Canyon all the time. So he took us up there while Matt was out of town. The kids LOVED going out in the raft!!!
Tay and Oakley enjoying roasted marshmallows.
Parker likes his extra crispy!!

I am so glad we were able to make it up there this year. It is so beautiful and quiet. We slept great and really enjoyed the time with my parents!! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Amazing Article

Check out this article about our Bishop/Neighbor and his wife. They are amazing! Also the article was written by our neighbor.

Deseret News Bountiful couple finds fresh challenge in the Wasatch 100

Things to come!!

I promise there are posts to come! We are still getting used to 3 in school, 3 doing homework, softball, my church callings, Matt being out of town.....we are just plain busy!! Posts will come soon:)

School's Back!!!! Yay!!

School is back in session and we couldn't be any happier! The kids have had a great summer with alot of adventures, but they are ready to go back!

Parker is going into 4th grade. I was trying to help him pick out his clothes last night and mentioned that he should wear a certain pair of shorts that are "cute". Parker set me straight by telling me, "Mom, I don't want to be cute! I want to look COOL!" My bad!

Taylor is in 2nd grade. She is so excited that her classroom is upstairs! I guess that's how you know you have it made when you are upstairs!!

Oakley is starting Kindergarten and couldn't be more ready. This girl was made for school! She loves the excitement that going to school for the first time brings. She will going in the afternoon. If she had is her way, she would go all day!

What do you think?

I enjoy reading blogs on Deseret News. What can I say? I am a blog freak! I have a neighbor who writes a blog for Deseret News and so often I am reading his or other blogs on there. One of them is a "Mom" Blog. Today I read hers because the title interested me. It said"No More Slumber Parties". Hmmm. Really? The world is that bad? I am very intrigued so I read her article and then read the comments readers have posted. The consensus? Most parents are not doing sleepovers anymore. They feel that too many "bad choices" , "problems", or even "molestation" can happen. So parents now opt for "late nights".

My son (8) has a friend (9) who has late nights all the time. Parker even had one last night at this kid's house. Late night for him was 9:30 p.m. because he has a bball camp at 7:30 the next morning. Parker has had sleepovers before. He has camped out in our neighbor's back yard too.

Taylor (7) has had sleepovers too. She had her first one when she was around 3 or 4. My best-friends daughter spent the night at our house. Since then she has had a few more.

Oakley (5) has only had sleepovers at the grandparents.

So what is the right choice when it comes to our kids? They were o.k. for us to go to as kids, but the world has changed so much that we can only trust ourselves and not other families? Should they only be allowed to sleep over at grandparents? Do we not allow them to go while they are younger, but allow them when they are teenagers? Or do we never allow them and think of sleepovers as the past and late nights as our children's future? I am really curious to know what you "my friends" think or believe. I have to say I really didn't have a problem with it before, now I am starting to think late nights are the way to go.

Bear Lake

Bear Lake!!! How fun right!?! Well a week before we went, my parents and I had been talking about going on a camping trip together. I was only able to find a spot at the Idaho State Park in Bear Lake and we decided that we would go the following week for 4 days 3 nights. The next week my dad informed me that he would not be able to go, but my mom (who was sick) said she would still go. She packed up and then called me a few hours later to let me know she couldn't make it! So it was just the kids and I!!! We left and made our way up there. It was quite the drive since we had to go to the Idaho side!! Parker and I set up our camp and then we went down to the beach. The water was SO warm! The dogs loved it and so did the kids! That night the dogs slept great! I was so worried that they would bark all night at the creatures, but they didn't . Bella even slept in Parker's sleeping bag with him! The next day we spent at the beach again. It was hot, hot , hot. Later we played card games in the tent, but could not cool off! We were dripping!!! There was NO shade anywhere down there! Not even under our shade tent! So we decided we were done and wanted to go home. I know. It's sad. Only 2 days instead of 4! We started packing up at 7:30 p.m. and Parker said "Mom, we are never going camping again without dad!" I agree! We totally take all he does for us for granted!! We made it home about 11 p.m. (thanks to 1 lane traffic on the freeway!!!) My cold shower never felt so good! Oakley and I are sunburned, but it was still alot of fun!! Next time I will go with Matt, on the Utah side:)