Holy Cow, A Lot Has Happened...

Welcome to the new blog! Alex and I figured that since neither one of us have kept up our individual blogs, we're going to try a combined one. I kind of doubt that it'll make much of a difference (some may call me a pessimist, I prefer the term realist). But, here I am, attempting to catch up on the past year of my blogging absence! I decided to go through my photos of the past year, and WOW, a lot has happened. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. Rather than bore you to tears with a forever long post with a zillion pictures, I think I'll just start with September of 2010 and try to finish out the year. Then I'll post again for 2011. It might be awhile before I'm actually caught up, but I'm willing to try.

Let's see... At the end of September was my 26th birthday. Max was three months old, and I was pretty happy with my weight loss at that point. But then, this happened:

Let me rephrase that. It didn't just 'happen'. Alex did it. This incredible, rich, chocolately, perfect in every way homemade chocolate raspberry tart was the beginning of my demise. I ate that entire thing in 2 days.... With the disappearance of the tart, my self control also disappeared. I have seriously struggled since then with my weight, and I whole-heartedly blame my sweet husband and his tempting creations. (I say that... but as my next birthday approaches, I really hope he makes me another one of these!!!) Good thing the dear man loves me no matter what size pants I have to wear ; ).

October, of course, was HALLOWEEN! I love Halloween.

Not because of all the skanky women that think the holiday is their excuse to dress like tramps. It's just a FUN holiday! Since my kids are still young enough to wear what I make them wear,

we had a blast putting them in matching Halloween costumes. Mya chose to be Snow White (thank you Grandma Merla for getting her the darling costume, which she still wears regularly!), and we dressed Max accordingly as Happy, one of the 7 Dwarves (thank you Grandma Diane for making his adorable costume!). They were both so stinking cute, and we all had a super fun time!

November got colder... and all of a sudden, it was Thanksgiving. Another wonderful Holiday. Lots of time with family and loved ones. Eating a delicious bounty of food, and most importantly, reflecting on the many incredible blessings the Lord has given us.

December 2010 was full of adventure. First of all, we live in Salt Lake City, UT, which means SNOW. Lots of snow. I'm not a big fan of the cold, wet, destructive stuff. But such is life as a Utahn.

Anyway, the real adventures included: a trip to Wyoming, a visit from my Dad who lives in the Philippines, and Christmas. So much fun...

Let's begin with the trip to Wyoming. My sweet nephew, Josh, decided to marry a beautiful girl named CheyAnne. And they decided to get married in the middle of December, in Casper, Wyoming (if you're reading this Josh, don't worry, I'm not still bitter about your awful timing... really, I'm not bitter at all...). Okay, so he's kind of a turd for picking such a crappy time to ask us to drive to the cold, windy, armpit of Wyoming. BUT, I love him with all my heart, so I was happy to support him and his lovely bride! To make the journey a little quicker, easier, and cheaper, my sister, Kara, our Mom, and I decided that just the 3 of us would drive up (with no husbands or children). It really was a wonderful trip!

Here's a great shot at the wedding of my mom and dad, Kara, and our three nephews, Josh, Aaron, and Ben, and our new niece (thank you spell check) CheyAnne. The wedding was beautiful, and bitter-sweet. The mother of the groom is my sister, Kim. Many of you that know me may remember in high school when Kim lost her 6 year battle with cancer. It's been 11 years since her death. A momentous occasion like the marriage of her oldest son surely did bring out some emotions that I haven't felt for some time. I miss her dearly, but it was a beautiful thing to feel her spirit present at her son's wedding. While in Casper, my family and I also had the opportunity to visit Kim's gravesite, something that we had not previously had the chance to do together.

After making the treacherous drive back to Salt Lake (again Josh, I'm not still bitter about the danger that you put so much of your family through in the dead of winter...hahahahaha...), Alex and I got ready for our houseguest--my dad! For the past nearly 10 years, my dad has lived overseas (in either Saudi Arabia, Yemen, or the Philippines). It probably goes without saying that we don't get to see him in person very often, so it was an exciting time to have him come and stay with us. Unfortunately his wife and daughter were unable to join him on this trip. Here's Grandpa Mel visiting with his newest grandson (at the time)Max. They had a great time bonding ; )!

And here's a shot of one of the many sweet moments Grandpa Mel got to spend with Mya. She had SO much fun with him--playing games, jumping on the air mattress with him, reading, and most of all, helping break in his new ipad!

While my dad was in town, we had a lot of great time with him, and with my nephews, Ben and Aaron (who live in Ogden). Mmmm... 5 Guys. Sorry Dad--I don't think you can find a burger this good anywhere in the Philippines : )! My dad flew back to his wife and daughter just

before Christmas.

Christmas 2010 was the best ever. We had a blast with our kiddos, with all of our family and friends, and with the different activities that surround the Christmas season. What a perfect holiday, and a beautiful, memorable way to honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and commemorate His birth.

SANTA! (And both kids actually happy!!!)

Christmas morning, having a wonderful, peaceful time (I'm actually serious about that description) opening gifts. At age 3 1/2, Mya really got into the whole 'Santa' thing for the first time, and of course, Alex and I had a lot of fun with that!

Our sweet little Max, at 6 months old, snuggling with Daddy. He didn't know what was going on... he was tired and teething, but a precious little angel nonetheless!

Christmas at the Berndt's.

Christmas at my Mom's.

Here's one last picture to end 2010 with--Max at 6 months old doing his core workout. Exercise is very important in our family. We start training young.

Wish me luck in catching the rest of the way up. It is fun to reminisce about the past, but with two rapidly growing, hilariously cute little monkey children running around, the present is so much more fun to talk about. I'm kind of a self-conscious blogger sometimes, so as always, I would LOVE to have you leave a comment if you read/looked at this post. It doesn't have to be a compliment or anything (I'm not that kind of self-conscious), it can be an insult or whatever you'd like... I just like to see if anyone out there is actually reading what I write! (And that means you Denise--you are the one who inspired me to actually give blogging another try, since you supposedly read my blog!!)

Hugs and kisses to you all (unless you're sick--you get a friendly wave until you're not germy anymore)!