Happy Turkey Day!

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving in Utah at Heather's house with the family. Heather and I decided that we would cook the dinner since my mom was taking care of my grandpa. I have to confess that I was so nervous because I don't know how to cook anything! My mother-in-law might disown me for saying that! I just haven't ever really had to do it so I never learned. Anyways, we were excited to learn!

Surprisingly, we didn't burn anything and it all tasted amazing! The boys deep fried a turkey. It was the best turkey I have ever had. It was so juciy and yummy! We made homemade suffing, mashed potatoes, green bean thing, yams, rolls, turkey, banana cream pie, and my favorite pretzel jello! It is Cooper's favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving and once I had it last year at his parents I was hooked! We got everyone else hooked on it too!

The we spent the next two days shopping! It was a great weekend to spend with some of my favorite people!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas is my favorite holiday! I love decorating the tree, hanging lights, going to parties, eating a lot of yummy food, buying presents & wrapping them, visiting family.... the list goes on and on! At this time of year, I try not to forget the true meaning of Christmas and keep the Savior the focus. I found this blog that is an advent calendar to Christmas. http://www.ashadowcanyonchristmas.blogspot.com/Each day she posts an article from the First Presidency or the Ensign that bring the spirit into your home and remind you of the true meaning of Christmas. I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

The White's...

Life has been very busy and we are so excited to relax this weekend for Thanksgiving! Here is a little bit of what we have been up to...

Cooper went riding motorcycles out to Caliente. He loves to get away and unwind after his crazy weeks full of work and school. He amazes me with how he keeps it all together.

My mom and I threw Heather her baby shower. She is having a baby boy named Conner. I am sure he is going to be the cutest little boy and he will definately have a lot of family to love him! We can hardly wait 3 more weeks! She got a lot of cute things for baby Conner... what can be cuter than a dinosaur outfit?

Head, Mom, and Anj

This is what goes on at baby showers... a lot of OOOHH and AWWW how cute! Since we can't get Heather to just move back to Vegas (hint hint) we had a shower here and in Provo.

Look at that cute little belly! She is the cutest little pregnant lady in the world!

I also got to play with Brooke and Stephanie. I just love them and I am grateful for their friendship. Especially when Steph and I call each other just to say we miss eating Taco Bell together... and that is why she is my best friend! My Cooper and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary on the 17th. Sometimes is seems just like yesterday we were getting married and other times is seems like this is how is has always been. We spent the weekend out at Lake Las Vegas. We ate some yummy mexican food, went shopping, and enjoyed the best carmel apple I think we have every had! The next morning we ate breakfast and rode our bikes around the lake. It was a perfect day! I am so grateful enjoy the 'ride' with Cooper by my side. It just wouldn't be worth taking with out him. He is my favorite!

We had a Halloween Party at school. All of the kids dressed up and we had a little party! I made the coolest witch hat but I forgot to get a picture of it. We ate lots of spooky treats and made fun crafts.

Here is our marshmellow zombie!

I was able to go on the field trip to the Shark Reef. The kids LOVED it, especially the touch tank! They had a great time learning about all of the ocean life.

My last day of student teaching was Friday. The kids all wrote me letters and drew pictures. Then Mrs. Wolfram had them bring in supplies that I can use in my new classroom like paper, book, and pencils. I even got my first "teacher" gift... a yellow school bus ornament!

I had such an AMAZING experience student teaching. Mrs. Wolfram was so supportive, creative, and helpful in preparing me and allowing me to be creative with the lessons. We had wonderful students (and a few not so wonderful!). They would bring me apples and draw me pictures all of the time. I think I experienced just about everything from a boy peeing his pants to a lot of bloody noses, and everything in between! It is very exciting to be graduating and to start teaching soon in my own classroom. I just love teaching!

I put up my Christmas tree + 2 others today. I just love decorating! Merry Christmas!

24 candles!

Yes, I turned 24 last week! It was such a perfect birthday! Saturday I spent the day with Cooper. He had planned a surprise for my birthday. He took me to the park and surprised me with a.... SHINNY PINK BIKE!!! It is just beautiful! We rode our bikes around the park, chased the ducks, and ate a picnic. He thinks of everything!

That night we met our families for dinner at my favorite place, Cafe Rio. Lindsey made my favorite red velvet cupcakes. They were delicious!

On Tuesday, my actual birthday, I had so many birthday greetings sent to me! I felt so loved!! Cooper brought me breakfast and a Dr. Pepper. My mom surprised me at school and brought me and all of the teachers bundt cake to celebrate at lunch. It was so thoughtful and a perfect treat! That night she took me to get a message and we ate Cafe Rio for dinner again! For dessert we shared a tres leches. What a perfect day!

Shake your Groove thing

For Young Womens a few weeks ago we planned a 70's party. We had a Groovy time! We all came dressed in our 70's best and danced to some fun disco music. They decorated their own discoball, played a game of 70's scategories, and danced the YMCA.

We also had a chocolate fondue relay race. Yummy!

And here are the crazy leaders shaking their groove thing! All of the girls had a great time! I love our young women. They all get along and enjoy being with each other. And they are so much fun! I am so thankful to teach the amazing girls each week.

PEACE & LOVE!! :)

Take time to Create!

I was invited to attend this years Creative Escape with my friends Sommer and Ginger and my new friend Hedi. We spent crazy 2 days scrapbooking, learning new and fun techniques, and laughing our heads off! We attended so many classes that were taught by the best of the best teachers. Here are just a few of my favorite projects!

Hedi Swapp

Saturday night we sat down for dinner and we ate dessert FIRST!! Yummy! How cool is that?

Just call me...

MRS. WHITE

I started my student teaching on Monday. I LOVE it! I am teaching a 2nd grade class at Richard Bryan Elementary. Right now I am just observing the teacher and learning her classroom procedures and rules. I also get to work with small groups and teach them reading or math. Eventually I will start teaching the entire class the math lessons until eventually I am teaching all of the subjects to the students. In about 9 weeks I will be the full time teacher!

My host teacher is great! I like her style of teaching and disciplining. She doesn't yell at the students all day like other teachers I have observed.

I love grading papers, making copies, stapling the homework together, eating lunch in the teachers lounge, working with the students and listening to their hilarious stories, watching their expression on their face when they 'get it', and interacting with them during the lessons. I still don't feel totally comfortable teaching the lessons but I guess that will come with time and repetition. In 12 weeks I will graduate and become a real teacher! Whahoo!!

Aloha!

ALOHA from Hawaii! Last week we were able to spend time with my family at Hawaii laying on the beach eating a snow cone. It was a very relaxing and much needed vacation. We stayed at the cutest little beach house that had a ocean front view. We woke up to the ocean breeze every morning- wonderful!

The best part of all was that I got to spend the week with some of my favorite people! I love my huge family of 10! When we get together there is nothing but laughing and crazy fun going on.

We had a mini-van to ride around in and this.... a convertable! What would the beach be like without the top down and the sun shining down on you?

Laying on the beach watching the sunset - this is the life!

One day we hiked through a garden up to this beautiful waterfall. (You can see it right behind Heather's head!) It was a refreshing dip in the water after walking around in the heat.

Hawaii has some of the most beautiful, colorful flowers. Every where you go they are growing wild! The mountains and hills are covered in green trees and plants - it is amazing!

On the way up to the waterfall we stopped at this little hut and these two cute old ladies taught us how to make the little fish out of the leaves.... Fish making for Dummies!

The crazy, adventurous boys were always climbing on the rocks and jumping off cliffs into the ocean. They would come back with cuts and scrapes all over them. Even Trysten joined in and jumped off the big cliffs with them.

Now to my favorite part of the trip... SNOW CONES!! We got one at least once a day, sometimes two, three, or four times a day!

With so many flavors to choose from what is a girl to do but try them all? My favorites were watermelon, banana-coconut-pineapple, lime, mango, and pinacolada!

One night we had a bomb fire on the beach and roasted smores. Yummy! It is funny how cool it gets at night on the coast. We needed that fire to keep warm!

Turtle - Turtle! We were able to see a few turtles while we were on the beach and snorkling. I loved seeing them while we were snorkling. They don't dart off when you come up close - they are so calm and just chill! The next day we spent the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is almost like Disneyland - lots of places to go, things to do and shows to see. As you walk around you go to different polynesian villages where they talk to you about their traditions, culture and have a performance for you. We had a sweet lady from Fiji giving us a tour around the center. On the river behind us they did a canoe show where they had people dressed up representing different cultures doing their traditional dances on the canoes as they floated by.

That night we attended a Luau! We got beautiful flower leis and

ate some "interesting" food!

Just about everyday we spent the day soaking up the sun on the beach! We were jumping waves, playing beached whale, and our new family favorite running on the ocean floor! The boys would pick up these huge rocks off the ocean floor to hold them down and then run as far as they could hold their breath. It was hilarious to see someone running under water! The girlies tried it but we can't hold our breath that long!

The beautiful Laie Temple!

We had a great time in Hawaii... laying on the beach and being with family!

ALOHA!

If you like Pina Coladas....

Tomorrow we are off to Hawaii! See you in a week!

Girls Trip- Part 2

Not only do I have the best sisters and mom but I have the best sister-in-laws and mother-in-law! And there are 7 of them! Last weekend I went with my sisters and mom to San Diego. I LOVED spending the weekend with them just having fun and lots of GIRL talk! Look at all those beautiful ladies!

Thursday night we went to see WICKED! It was just as good as the first time... and the second! My favorites songs are Defy Gravity and For Good. They are AMAZING!!!

Friday we spent the day at the beach - working on our tan and relaxing!

Taylor and Aubree were crazy enough to get into the freezing water!

We ate some great food! That is one thing you can count on with the Whites - you will always go to some fun resturant that is sooo good!

Lindsey, Mom, Taylor

Me & Megan

Kelsey & Taylor

Megan, Aubree & Kelsey

Lindsey started a tradition this year where we bring Sister Gifts for everyone of some new thing we found that we could not live without. It was so fun to exchange gifts and see all of the fun surprises! Cards, paper, lipgloss, key chain, notebooks, etc...
We went to the movies to see Julie & Julia then aftewards we got dessert! The Ghiradeli Chooclate Shop! We had great ice cream and I had the best brownie ever! Yummy!

I LOVE my sisters and mom-in-law! I couldn't have asked for a better family to marry into. I can't wait for next year! Luv all of you girls!

Girls just wanna have fun... part 1

I am so lucky to have soooo many SISTERS!!! 9 in all counting Cooper's side! They are all so much fun and I love it when all of us girls are just hanging out! I went with 'my' sisters and mom last weekend to San Diego. We had a girls trip... no BoYs allowed! My cousin Storm also came with us. We had way too much fun!

We went to the beach and worked on our tan. The water was way too cold for me to get more than just my feet wet but Katie and Storm were hanging out in the water for ever! Crazy girls! We turned Storm into a Mermaid. I sculpted the boobs... you would think I would have made them bigger!

My favorite thing.... SnoWConEs! They were yummy and HUGE!!

I found my new hobby... riding bikes! I just LOVE it and I really want to get one to ride around town. I finally got a PINK bike with a basket but no bell. We were riding the bikes around town all day - dodging rollerbladers, people, and light poles. FUN! FUN! FUN!

THEN we went to see WICKED! The best play ever! It has such fun music to sing along with and the play is just down right amazing! My favorite is Elphaba, the wicked witch!

Yeah... we had a fashion show before the play. When you get all dressed up you have to document it, right?

I just have to say that I have THE cutest, most beautiful, amazing mom in the world! She is just so much fun to be with and has the biggest heart. She is my bestest friend and I am so thankful for her. I don't know how I got so lucky but I am glad that I did!

Defy Gravity!

I LOVE my sisters and my mom! I am so grateful that I was able to spend the weekend with them. Luv you Gals!