Tottle and his guitar..

Well Todd has finally done it. After 3 years of talk, he went ahead and signed up for some guitar lessons. We have an awesome family in our ward (that we love love love love love) that are the most musically gifted people we have ever met. They are the Streulings (related to the Lameroux's in TN, talent must run in the family!!), and their son Kipp is giving Todd lessons once a week. Today was Todd's very first lesson and I have to say I was impressed. Todd will have this down in No time!!

Mmm Mmm Good...

Todd and I mastered the chicken, so naturally it was time to move on. We ordered an 1/8th of a cow from a friend, and started bottling. We are starting with hamburger meat, and have a ton of steak and roasts to try out next. In the meantime please enjoy these yummy looking bottles of hamburger meat. As gross as they look, it is actually the best hamburger I have ever had. We opened one to try, and boy oh boy was it Mmm Mmm Good!!

Merry Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from the Cottle's, we hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! We had a fun trip down to St George, and were lucky enough to spend time with Todd's Dad and his sweet family!! It was fun watching the kids open their presents. These kids are super sweet and the most grateful kids I have ever met. They thanked their parents all day for their presents!! We had such a great time with them!!! We miss you munchkins already!!
Hope you all had a glorious day!!

Do you see what I see?

Do you see her? I swear she is there. This pregnant lady is on the ceiling right above my bed. She is there every night, and I might be crazy but I feel like I have to say goodnight to her. I have named her Victoria because her hair is reminiscent of the early 1900's. She has it up in a high elegant bun!! Seriously do you see her, or am I nuts?? Here is my outline so you can see her better...

Weekend Fun!!

(Again no excuses but my camera stinks!!)

Oh my goodness...I love Todd's family!! This past weekend they came up for a visit, and boy-oh-boy did we have fun!! Friday night we went and saw the lights at temple square, and Saturday evening we had the whole family up for dinner.

I love Mark and Michelle so very much, they are the kindest, sweetest, and most compassionate people I know. Their kids are adorable too. Lauren, Amanda, Christian, and Hayden are all bundles of fun, and they sure do love their older brother. You should see them with Todd. They cuddle right up to him and make him smile in a way no one else can.

We had such a great time with them and we cant wait to see them again!! Hopefully they will venture up here more often, and we will make it down there more too.

Thanks for a great weekend Cottle family and we cant wait to see you at Christmas, love you all!

Chunky Monkey is 12

Ok so my cute little brother isn't chunky now, but he was as a baby! I will forever call him Chunky and hopefully he will forever call me 'BB'.

Dallin is honest to goodness one of the most special kids I have ever met. He 100% fits the mold that the prophets and apostles talk about. He was truly saved for this time, and has a great purpose to fulfill. At the ripe old age of 12 he is far more advanced spiritually than I was at 18. He loves the Savior in a personal way, and will check up on us all. I cant count the times we have been talking and he will ask "BB, are you going to church and do you like it?!" (Alright it was only once, but it was super cute!!)

He is also one of the funniest kids I have ever met. He makes me laugh all the time. I will call to to talk, and he gets on the phone and isn't all there. So I ask, "are you busy, should I call back?" and his response is "I am watching TV and don't really have anything to say." He knows the funniest jokes, and always has a way to make you laugh.

On top of all this he is super super smart. Maegan and I are the academically challenged children in the family, while Jeff and Dallin are gifted in that area. Jeff was the reigning champ in grades, but this past year Dallin has taken the lead. I asked Dallin if he was going to be smarter than Jeff and he said "Yeah probably, no big surprise there!!"

My love for Chunk is more than I have words for. I can not wait to see him grow in the priesthood. Jeff and I were talking, and we both think he is headed for big places. I am sad we live so far away, and I am missing him grow up, but I am thankful for technology and the chances that gives me to catch up with him.

I love you Dallin, and am so proud of you and your accomplishments. Happy belated Birthday!!

My sweet Todd!!

I know I already said this in the last post, but Todd took this past week off. I had a lot of fun hanging out with him, and I am very grateful for his kind sweet spirit. He continuously makes me laugh and smile!! I could not be happier at this point in my life, and I look forward to the many years to come with him!