January - Summary of Events

It is hard to believe how fast January has come and gone. We've had a good month with a lot of exciting things happening. Here is a summary of what we have had going on this month:

• New Primary Class - It has been fun getting to know the new kids in my class. I also have been assigned a new team teacher which has been fun. I teach the CTR 4 class (4-5 year olds). They can be a handful but are very cute and pretty sincere in their love for Jesus Christ and the Gospel. We are learning/teaching the kids this year about the truthfulness of the scriptures and how they can know they are true. We have a cute primary presidency that has really done a good job on implementing the new theme this year. I also love a new song we are learning in Primary this year. I got to fill in on a spur of the moment with playing the piano one week - I quickly gained an appreciation for the music director - they do amazing work trying to help these kids learn these songs!
• Steve's Calling at Church - Steve has had a fun time organizing the ward building cleaning assignments. Instead of having church cleaning assignments be voluntary, our ward has implemented the new direction to make mandatory assignments for cleaning the ward building. Our ward shares the building with 1 other ward, so we are responsible for cleaning the church 6 months of the year. Steve has organized the cleaning into 8 different assignments. Each family in our ward has been assigned 2 assignments for the entire year. They have their one assignment, can enter the church each Saturday anytime between 8-11am and perform their assignment. So far it has been pretty good, with a pretty good turnout on assignments...it will take a little while for everyone to get on board, but it sure makes it easier for all ward members.
• Biggest Loser Competition - I decided to participate in a Biggest Loser competition! It is a 12 week competition that required a $30 buy-in fee. There were approx 130 people that entered and so first prize is close to $2500...that is a ton of motivation, right?! The first 2 weeks I did awesome - lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks. This week has been a little more difficult, so I hope to at least maintain the 8 pounds I had previously lost.
• Family Birthday Dinner - We celebrated the January birthdays in my family on Sunday, January 16th, at G&G Lewis' home. The January birthdays are my brother Dean (the big 32) and my cousin Alan (19). It is always a fun time to be with my family.
• Sleepover with Zoey - I had a primary quarterly activity to attend on Friday, January 21st - it was a pizza & pj party for the kids. I decided to invite my niece Zoey to go with me and then have a sleepover at our house! We had a fun time - she loved seeing all of the "new" kids at "Kimmy's church". She was excited to tell her mom and dad about throwing marshmellows (David & Goliath), running like a football player (parting the red sea), pushing kids in boxes (Lehi's family arriving to the promised land), playing with the animals (Noah's ark), and fishing... We then went back to my house and she wanted to watch Nemo (we watched it once at night and once the next morning)! She loves her movies!!
• Layney's Adoption Finalization - My sister & brother-in-law had their final court appearance yesterday (Jan 28th)...this was the finalization of their adoption process. Layney was absolutely the cutest ever with lots of smiles - it was like she knew what was happening and what a special day it was. We loved being a part of it with them! We celebrated afterwards with a small group of family going to Little America for Brunch. It was a fun morning. So looking forward to next weekend when they will be sealed in the Temple and she will be blessed.

Jenn & Ben's caseworker Rachel

Aunt Diane and Cousin Leticia

Grandma (My mom)

Great Grandma & Grandpa Lewis (my grandparents)

• Adoption - Steve & I have made the decision to adopt! It has been an amazing process watching Jenn's family go through this experience. We know there are many ups and downs through the adoption process, but we are ready and excited for this new adventure!! We know that it can be a long and expensive process, but we know the Lord has a plan for us and are preparing ourselves as best we can for our future :)
• Macey - Isn't she still the cutest dog? I had to snap a few pictures of her laying in Steve's lap. If we are watching TV, she is typically on his lap or on his shoulder. She is the sweetest little girl and we definitely have a soft spot in our hearts for her.

Until February....

Random January Thoughts

1) I LOVE Steve!! He is one of the BEST men I know. We've been together almost 3 years...hard to believe that I have known him that long, and yet, it feels like forever!

2) I need a Vacation! I really want to go somewhere warm. I'm ready for Winter to be over. I really want to enjoy some 70 degree weather and wear flip-flops again. I know, I know...I live in Utah - and I love Utah - but I am sick of the cold and looking forward to enjoying warmer weather!

3) I love getting my hair done (Thanks Jaime!!) It just feels good to have new highlights - even if it doesn't really change your look, it just feels good.

4) I think dogs are pretty cool. If you knew me 5 years ago, you would never think those words would come out of my mouth. But can I just tell you how cute and loving Macey is? She always makes you feel like you are the best thing on the planet even when you have had the worst day. Plus, after she has had a bath (yesterday) she is so cute, soft and fluffy - I love it!

5) I'm stuck on "Days of our Lives" again. I can't believe I've let myself get back into that show that I used to watch in my teenage days...but somehow it has happened. I DVR it and totally waste at least 1 hour a day watching it.

6) I still LOVE Diet Coke! I've been really trying to drink a lot more water lately and really cut back on the DC...but when I have one (which now is a 12 oz can usually only 1-2 times a week) it is absolutely the best thing ever!

7) I have a love/hate relationship with debt... I love paying it off because it feels so good to have one less thing to pay...but I hate paying it off because I really want to save the money to spend on something so much better than past mistakes!

8) ZUMBA is so Fun! I really loved it 2 years ago, then had my little "back" episode that made me cautious about what exercise I do. I tried it again last week for the first time in over a year - and I absolutely LOVE it again! Can't wait to go again tomorrow!

9) I've entered a Biggest Loser competition and now I feel guilty every time I am on the computer - either working, facebooking, or blogging...because I feel like I should be over on my treadmill!

10) I can't wait to witness the sealing of my cute little niece Layney to her mom and dad. What a wonderful experience that will be!

SassaFrass Photography

Sharing the LOVE by promoting my friend's Photography business! She is amazing and does fantastic work. Here are a few pictures she did of my cute niece Zoey last Summer:






Check out her website at www.sassafrassphoto.com

All Caught Up!!

Ok, I think that catches me up for what's been going on in our lives. One of my 2011 goals - be more committed to "journaling" our lives. Wish me LUCK!

Lots of Babysitting...

Steve and I have had a few opportunities as of late to watch our cute nieces - Zoey & Layney. They seriously bring me so much happiness. I LOVE watching them and seeing their excitement for life. Zoey is such a sweet, caring, big sister. She is always trying to get Layney to laugh and smile. She is so willing to help with anything that is asked of her. She has a sweet, kind, spirit - she loves people and cares about them...she doesn't like to see anyone sad or hurting. Layney is just a joy to her entire family! We have been waiting for what seems like forever for her to be a part of our family...and have loved every day since she has arrived. She is such a good baby and is smiling all of the time. I am so grateful to Jenn & Ben for letting Steve and I be such a big part of their lives. We love them and look forward to the day when they can have some little Miller cousins!

Happy New Year...Welcome 2011!!

We had a pretty nice, low-key New Year's Eve... It was FREEZING and really CRAPPY weather - so we stayed close to home and spent the evening playing games at my sister's home. We grabbed Cafe Rio To Go and then headed over for some fun with the Spencer's and my mom. We played a few rounds of "Ticket to Ride" and "RummiKub". It's so FUN to play games with Jenn - her and Steve are terribly competitive, so it is funny to watch them compete.

I'm looking forward to a NEW YEAR! Of course, a new year always comes with new goals... I have a lot that I want to accomplish this year in many different aspects of my life. I will share some of them with you as I accomplish them!!

Hope everyone has a fantastic new year!

CHRISTMAS!!!

We had a fantastic Christmas this year. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for an amazing family and optimistic future. You can read my thoughts on that day by clicking here: http://kimknighton.blogspot.com/2010/12/holy-cow-its-christmas.html

We spent Christmas Eve afternoon at Cheri's house. We had a few gifts for Maxwell & Lexi and had to stop in and say Hi! We love all of the cute kiddos in our lives and love to spoil them. It makes us happy to see them happy! After a few hours with Steve's family, we headed to my mom's house for a fun night. We spent the night eating, laughing, and sneezing...yep, I decided that it would be fun to have an allergy attack. I soon retired home to a nice dose of benadryl (it helped...I felt much better in the morning!). Christmas morning was FUN! Steve and I exchanged a few gifts - I surprised him with a few things: 2 Wii games (Deer Hunting and Call of Duty), new Temple clothes (we've got a goal to go more regularly this year), a few polos for work and a fun movie (Country Bears) that he has quite enjoyed lately as it has been on TV - I haven't seen it yet, but he laughs everytime it is on. He surprised me with some gifts also - necklace, earrings, lotion, Wii game (Donkey Kong). We decided to buy new bedding for a joint gift - he surprised me by getting new sheets and a nice curtain rod. We haven't had curtains before, so I'm excited for something different. I will post some pics when we get our bedroom all fixed up...it's going to be WAY cute! After our small Christmas at home, we went to the Spencer's to see the girls open some gifts...Zoey was so excited for all of her new things. Layney was sleeping the whole time we were there :( Then we headed out to G&G Lewis's house for lunch and more presents for the girls. It was a fantastic day! Here are a few pictures of the cute nieces...

Sub-4-Santa

Instead of exchanging any family gifts this year, we decided as a family to pick a family and do a Sub-4-Santa. Jenn had a friend that has had a very rough year - husband unemployed for a good majority of the year, 4 young kids, and 1 on the way. Jenn did a fantastic job at organizing the project and lot of family and friends helped contribute with money and time. We had a fun wrapping party so we could get it all ready to surprise the family. It was a fun experience to be able to provide some service this Christmas!

Trip to the Homestead

Steve thought up a wonderful surprise and booked a night out at the Homestead in Midway, Utah. We had so much fun...and were even able to take our Moo with us. We went swimming in the Crater (natural spring warm water inside a rock) that was pretty cool...as we looked out to see the fog because it was sooo cold outside! We had a wonderful dinner at the Homestead restaurant. We actually retired to bed quite early...because Steve decided to finally get sick with the gunk I had the previous 2 weeks...poor guy :( We woke-up the next morning, had breakfast at "The Hub" in Heber and then headed home. It was a nice little getaway - I have the best husband!

SiCkNeSs...YUCK!

I spent the first part of December SICK - for the majority of it! I couldn't get rid of it. I would be ok for a few days and then it would strike again. I had a few visits to the Instacare - mostly to rule-out Strep - but they did finally give me an antibiotic and that seemed to do the trick. It was nice to finally start feeling better...just in time for a surprise trip - see next post!

Thanksgiving!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We started the day by having lunch at my Grandma & Grandpa Lewis' home. It was to be with my family - we had everyone there except Dean & Sarah. Steve helped with the cooking this year, and I must say, did a fantastic job! He has "mad cooking skilz"! He spent the majority of that week reviewing recipes on "Pioneer Woman" - he will probably hate me for posting that - but he took what "she" had to say and turned it into a fantabulous meal! Thanks for helping out Babe! That night we headed on over to Steve's sister Cheri's home. Yummy pumpkin pie and a visit with the Loder's! Lora, Dave and the girls came to Utah for Thanksgiving - it was really fun to see them. Steve hates that they live in CA and wishes he could see them much more often. Black Friday brought a few fun surprises - including a new ORECK vacuum (for me!) and an awesome new TV for our bedroom (for Steve...and me!). After a trip to Costco, we met up with Cheri, Lora and families for a lunch at Cafe Rio - the Loder's love hitting that place when they are here. Here are a couple pictures of Jenn's cute girls on Thanksgiving.

GNO!

Can I just tell you what amazing friends I have?! I spent a night out with Jenn & Kellie in November - a chance to celebrate mine and Kellie's birthday's - we're both November babies... We went to Red Lobster (yes, again...something about that place that totally got me that month!). We braved the roads (it decided to be winter in Utah). We got there due to Jenn's fantastic driving abilities. We missed you Jenn W.! Hope you are coming to Utah soon!!

My Birthday - November 11th!

November 11th marked another year older for me - 33 - ahhh! I can't believe it - I definitely don't feel it. I had an enjoyable day with my family. I worked the morning and then my mom took me to lunch at Red Lobster, yummy... (still thinking about those awesome biscuits!). Steve was quite eager to give me his gifts, so I got to open it that morning before work - it was a beautiful necklace - so thoughtful. He is so wonderful to me and makes me extremely happy! No pictures though - not so good on getting those lately...

Happy Halloween

We celebrated Halloween on Saturday, the 30th! We dressed up our cute Macey Moo and visited the Burdick/Risers and then headed to G&G Lewis's home to see the cute nieces - Zoey & Layney! Our Macey was a cute bumble bee princess to fit in with the insect theme (Zoey was a Monarch Butterfly and Layney was a darling LadyBug!). A cute story, Jenn took the girls to a ward trunk-or-treat, a man came up to Zoey and said what a cute princess. She stood up to him with the utmost attitude and said, "Duh, I'm not a princess...I'm a Monarch Butterfly!" She is such a funny, witty girl. Here are some pics of the fun day.