Alicia Alee Accessories Official Launch!

So I have been working on my site, Alicia Alee Accessories, for quite a while now and am finally comfortable enough with the site layout and navigation to invite you all to check it out! :) There are still some things I would like to do design-wise with the site, but it is off to a great start, and I've been having alot of fun creating items for locals! I offer hairbows, clips, bow holders, name plaques, and have just started making interchangeable beaded watch bands with my Mom and one of my best friends Hannah!! (which I have to hurry and get their designs online also so you can see all of their awesome creations too!! Check back soon!) So if you are in need of a fun and custom gift for neices, sisters, or moms, I'd love to create something just for you! I also offer christmas photo cards if anyone is looking for a unique card this year :) Just click on the image above to get to my accessories site. Don't forget to follow me on your blogs to stay updated on new items! Thanks so much and I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season!

Halloween Pics

Well, I didn't get too many pics taken at the actual events, but we had alot of fun this year going to our Ward Halloween Party, and to visit friends. Jeron made a very rugged cowboy, Jocelyn of course had to have 2 outfits, in correspondence with her daily wardrobe changes ;), and Braxton was our little Spiderman. I got talked into being a princess; I insisted that I had nothing to wear, but my bridesmaid dress from Talia's wedding and a headdress from one of my Mom's community plays proved more than sufficient. :)

Thank You

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments. I appreciate all of your love and support more than I can ever say ... I am so grateful for my family and friends that have offered loving words & kindness and comfort during this difficult time for our family. It means alot to me. Thank you all again so very much.

Awkward Announcement

I feel very awkward and very sad to make this Announcement, but I feel it is time to give an unavoidable update .. Buck and I are getting divorced. I am extremely heartbroken to make this statement, and I wish so very much that things were different .. I appreciate all of your love and concern during this very difficult time, and thank you so much for all your kindness and support...

Toddler Talk & Other Sweet Stories

A little while ago Jocelyn came to me, gripping her finger with a concerned look on her face. "Mommy, I have a wizard in my finger!" (to the less refined world devoid of toddlers, the more commonly known term would be "splinter.":)

Jocelyn is following me in from the car the other day, and it was a rainy afternoon, so I tell her to follow in my footsteps so that she wouldn't get mud all over her shoes.

Jocie: "Oh thank you Mommy! You saved my life!"

I suppose preventing getting mud all over your pink sparkly shoes would be pretty life-saving to a princess :)



Jeron, resisting wearing pajamas to bed one night, requested to sleep in his jacket and jeans. "Please, Mom, I'm begging you."

Speaking of begging, Jocelyn had been begging for a pink dress for weeks, and anytime I was on the computer, she would ask me to look up a pink dress for her. One day, after having not spoken about the desired pink dress for a few days, she is downstairs playing with Grandma. Grandma asks her, Jocie, what is your Mom doing? With a huge exasperated and disappointed sigh, Jocelyn randomly responds, "I don't know ... NOT buying me a pink dress."

Jocelyn, in response to refusing her recent request for having a bedtime bowl of cereal. "Papa, I am going to get mad at you!!"

After helping Jeron get ready for bed a few nights ago, he sits beside me and puts his arms around my neck.

"You are the sweetest Mama ever! I always wanted a Mama just like you! I love you soo much! I am going to keep my arms around you forever ..."



I love my sweet kiddos and I'm going to keep my arms around them forever too :)

Big Boy Brax

My little Braxton is growing up too fast!


Braxton is 15 mos. now ~ It seemed like he hadn't changed much for a long time, but lately he is really starting to look alot older to me. It always is a little sad to me at how quickly time passes and kids grow!



What a little poser ;)


Where Braxton loves lately - his favorite spot! He is such a goofball and loves to crawl into Jeron's big dumptruck to eat a snack, "read" a book, or chew on some toy or another.



Finally walking! Not that 14 months is that unusual, but with Jeron and Jocelyn walking at 11 and 12 months, it seemed like I'd been waiting for him to walk forever! :o) Which desire of course now I relinquish ...



Such a little ham ~ he is reminding me so much of Jeron at this age - two little turkeys ;)


But no matter how fast he grows, he'll always be our little brother Brax :o)

Jeron's 1st Trophy!

Jeron has won his very first trophy!! He got third place in the Elks National Soccer Shoot Contest and he was so excited! The age category he was in was kids 8 and under, so he did awesome and he was so happy to place!



Jeron kept saying he wanted one of those trophies and that he was going to get one. I told him we'll see, it depends on who does the best, but he was pretty convinced :)

Going up to accept his trophy



All the 1st-3rd Place Winners




Way to go Jeron, you did so great!! Jeron is very athletic and motivated, and I'm sure he will keep that determined drive as he grows older. Hopefully at least to keep him out of trouble ;) I love my little jock Jeron!

Blondes vs. Brunettes

It's official ~ guys prefer blondes over brunettes. You know when it comes from your own son at the ripe old age of 5, it can't be misunderstood! :) Our conversation yesterday after school:

Me: What did you do at school today?

Jeron: Evelyn and I stamped with letters.

Me: Evelyn? That's a pretty name.

Jeron: I like her.

Me: Ya? I like her name.

Jeron: I like HER.

I laughed. "So why do you like Evelyn?"

Jeron: She has yellow hair. I like girls with yellow hair. They're the cutest.

Me: Don't you like girls with brown hair?

Jeron: I like yellow hair like Evelyn's. She's the cutest.

Me: My hair is kind of yellow right now, but it's brown sometimes too.

Jeron: Ya, you're the cutest too. You and Evelyn are the two cutest.

I laughed again. "You know, girls with brown hair are cute too. Don't you have any friends with brown hair?"

Jeron: Ya, but I like yellow the best. Like Kayla (his cousin.) And Evelyn. I like her. He pauses and thinks for a minute, then cocks his head . . . "Evelyn has a really cute voice." (almost to himself)

I just laughed, trying not to be too worried that my 5 year old is already contemplating the sound of little yellow-haired Evelyn's voice .... at 5 years old, it starts!! :o)

What Matters Most

I have been feeling so very grateful for my little family lately, and at the same time, feeling how quickly time passes us by, and wanting to be able to spend more time with my sweet children. This video was such a good reminder to remember what matters most, and to spend our time on the important things in our lives, mainly our family and loved ones. Lately I have been very busy, and while I feel blessed to be able to have recently found avenues of earning income during a difficult time for our family, as well as to pursue my interests and improve my talents, I have also felt the need to become more organized, and to make sure that the most important things are priorities in my life.

There is a quote that has hung in my bedroom since I was a teenager, and I have often reflected on it. "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities." ~ President Ezra Taft Benson. I know this to be true, and I can feel such a difference in the home when we are following this counsel, and putting Heavenly Father and the gospel first. I know that as I strive to follow the Lord and re-prioritize my life, that Heavenly Father will bless me to manage my time and current demands, and that the unimportant things will drop out of my life. Although I have great room for improvement :), I know that as I work to always make Heavenly Father first in our home that I will be able to spend time on the most important things, and with those that matter most. :) I love my little family so very much, and will strive to work harder at telling them more often, not only in word but in deed ...

Kindergarten Kid

Jeron is officially a Lil Rebel! I am a little late in posting these, but Jeron has started kindergarten and he absolutely loves it!! :o) His teacher says that he is doing great in class, and listens well. Jeron loves making new friends and learning new things!! And of course he loves recess. I went to talk to his teacher one day and said hello to him on the playground and he says, "Hi Mom! We're chasing girls, bye!" :o) I was a little anxious about having him go full days, but he is doing so well and seems to be loving it! He has been a tad cranky sometimes after coming home, but I am sure that is normal and he will adjust soon enough. Right?! :o)






It was hard to walk out of the school and leave him behind, and I was very surprised that I did not cry. I always thought I would, but I think seeing him so ready to be there and willing to learn helped ease my anxiousness. I have to admit though, I am still sad about him being gone all day, and 3 o'clock simply does NOT come fast enough!! But then again, having two other kids to take care of does help pass the time. Jocelyn of course misses her brother, and wants to go along with him to school. A few more years, Jocie. Stay home and keep Mommy company! :o) I can't believe my little Jeron is 5 already and a kindergartener. He is growing up so fast, and is such a sweet helper. Another thing I miss at home! :) But I am glad that he is getting the stimulation and learning that he needs to help his restless body and growing mind. :) Why can't kids just stop growing?! :)

And here are a few recent pics of Jocie - she is just too cute so I had to include them!

Thank You

Thank you everyone, for your heartfelt comments and support, I appreciated it so much. Although it has been a very difficult time for our family, I know that with continued faith and the sincere prayers offered by our family and others in our behalf, that things will work out for the best. I am very grateful for all of our kind friends and family, and it makes it so much easier to go through trying times ... Thanks again for all of your love and support. We love you all. :o)

Prayers

We are going through a very difficult time in our family right now, and I would humbly ask for all of your prayers during this trying and painful time, that the Lord will bless us and direct our lives to what is truly best for our family ... Thank you to you all, my dearest family and friends ...

New Look!

I FINALLY took the time to make my own blog background! Woo-hoo! It was alot of fun and it's great to have my very own unique and custom layout. I know I have been really horrible about posting this summer, and I apologize to all of my blogging buddies, but I promise to get caught up on what you all have been up to soon! :o) It has just been a little crazy around here lately.

Here are a few recent pics we took of the kids and I and one with Papa ... I hope you all are enjoying what's left of the summer and I hope to get in touch with all of you soon! Check back in say ... a month or two (haha) for pics from mine and Talia's birthday, and baby Braxton, who just turned ONE on July 29th!!!

Hay Bales vs Being born in The Computer Age

We were in the car yesterday and I said to the kids,

"Hey, look at all those hay bales out there in the field!"

To which Jeron responded,

"Why are there all those e-mails out there?"

Jeron's Big #5!!!

So I am very super late posting these, but here are some fun pics of Jeron's Bday!!!

 





We started the day off with pancakes & eggs, Jeron's favorite, and then had a lazy afternoon until the kid's 1st T-Ball Game started! Jeron and all the other cousins were so excited to play in the game, even if they got pretty confused on the rules! :) Jeron did such a great job. Buck was really bummed he wasn't able to make it to his first T-Ball game, but Jeron took his Dad on the phone with him through the Congratulation line :) It was so much fun to be able to have all of his cousins from my side here for his Bday party though. The kids had tons of fun, maybe too much fun for us adults!

After the game, we came back home for pizza, cake, and presents! I know I am a slacker for summarizing it all in a slideshow, but it took forever just to download all the pics! :o) I think Jeron's favorite part was getting all of his soccer gear ~ he spent about a half an hour after opening it just kicking the ball into the goal. Jeron loved every minute of his Bday and I can't believe that my little boy is 5!!! He is such a sweet boy and he is such a great helper. We love his great sense of humor and kind spirit. :) Enjoy the pics!

T-Ball Time!

B-day Bash!!