a glimpse of our Christmas from my new camera

 Christmas morning before opening presents

 Marissa- is that a ...a.... Jessie doll?!!?!?!

 Yes, Santa got it right!!

 Jackson; still a little sleepy but getting the concept.

 Aunt Carlie helping Jack man open his presents

 Finger lickin' good :)

 "Pretend you like eachother"

    driving on his new CAT dump truck

 And....yes....we got dogs?!?!?! Our home is now littered with toys and four legged friends

Diego and Dora Truitt

Santa's Reindeer

 Meet Dancer & Prancer! Santa's reindeer. We went to visit them in freezing rain but it was worth it. These guys were so cute! The kids enjoyed them and so did the grown ups.

 I didn't take any pictures of the kids feeding the reindeer apple slices; I wish I did because the reindeer loved them! They inhaled them so fast! The reindeer were not interested in our carrots.

 Jackson trying to feed the reindeer (except they were tired of carrots! They wanted more sweet green apples)

Grandma Bea, Marissa, Michael, Jackson and Stephanie

Even Eagles Need a Push by David McNally

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

When you get what you want in y our struggle for life

And the world make you king for a day.

Just go to a mirror and look at yourself

And see what THAT man has to say.

For it isn't your father, mother or wife

Whose judgment upon you must pass:

The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people may think you a straight-shootin' chum

And call you a wonderful guy,

But the man in the glass says you're only a bum-

If you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please-never mind all the rest.

For he's with you clear up to the end.

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the man in the glass is your friend.

Summer 2010

Jackson loves playing in water! The date stamp is wrong obviously. Our big guy is 10 months old today :0) He is crawling everywhere and pulls himself up. He likes to hold your fingers and walk with you. He is "Na-Na's boy!" That would be a momma's boy. It is very funny to watch him scrunch his face up and fake cry because he wants to be held or wants attention. We love him so much and life wouldn't be complete without our little man. His dad shows lots of attention to his son. He is so proud of having a boy in the family!

Marissa and Mom started swim lessons. The Mom & Toddler classes. That means mom has to wear a swimsuit and get in too! This is Marissa giving her look of "love"! Hmm...wonder where she got that from? She doesn't trust her swim teachers and wants nothing to do with them touching her or helping her. She can do it all by herself! "WOW" is all you can really say and try and enjoy the INDEPENDENT sassy 3 year old stage. Watch out for Marissa Truitt when she is a teenager. Oh lord, please give me patience and love for that phase of our lives :) We love her so much. Just as much sass there is lots of love and a soft innocent voice that permiates from this beautiful little girl :) She can melt your heart just as fast as she can break it <3 She loves her Daddy...she is "a big girl" now. Going potty and getting ready for preschool to start this fall. She can't wait to be like her Uncle Michael & Aunt Stephanie (whom she looks up to so much).

Marissa is a great big protective sister to her little brother, Jackson. You can hear her little voice down the hallway saying "No Jackson! You can't have my toy!" or... "Jackson, be careful! You are going to hurt yourself" ... she reminds Mom when Jackson throws up or is chewing on something he isn't supposed to :) It's nice having an assistant {sometimes}.

~*Jackson wants everything Marissa has. He screams and grunts when he wants to be heard! Boy that kid has a voice.

Brian has been working a lot! Except this time he actually gets paid "time and a half" for overtime! Which is nice :) Stealing any time with him is a treat as he is busy working and providing for his family all the time. We appreciate all that he does to take care of us :)

I have enrolled in CBC for fall and wanted to take a fun class such as photography but I missed the opportunity! The class filled up quick. I have been busy signing Marissa up for preschool, swim lessons and teaching her to be diligent about wearing underwear and going potty!

I joined the gym and have been taking the kids to the "kidzone" there to have them watched while I get some quality mom time alone :) I enjoy going there because they have challenging classes and machines that I can watch my children on (just in case).

I am apart of my church's activities committee; which means I help plan events such as July 4th and other events. Which to my surprise is no different than planning the usual baby showers, bridal showers etc. ...it's just on a much bigger scale. 200 + rather than 30 people :)

While Brian has been working lots of overtime, I have taken up his outside duties such as lawn care and pool care.

"BECAUSE, JUST BEING TOGETHER IS ENOUGH."-Author Unknown

April 2010

Easter 2010

A candid family portrait finally! :0) Jackson's first Easter and Marissa is grasping the concept of hunting for the eggs. She ate TOO MUCH candy and got lots of love by all of her grandparents! What are parents for-we have grandparents for that :) LOL we had a fun day and we also remembered what this special day is really for. The resurrection of Jesus Christ! We are thankful for his atonement and that our sins may be forgiven. Love you all!

The Truitt Family

TO: My Daughter

My first born is almost 3 years old.

The first one to turn me into a Mommy or Momma these days and even sometimes Mom (sad-Mom sounds like you are growing up too fast).

I will soak up the Mommy's and Momma's as often as I can get them :)

Marissa, you smell like apples and maple syrup! Delicious.

I love your bouncy beautiful brown curls.

You are my friend and little buddy, always near my feet, everywhere I go

I catch you out of the corner of my eye with a smile on my face; you are imitating me, copying my moves, learning, observing. You are a wonderful sponge.

You are extremely intuiative, intelligent, and fun

I am so proud of you! I want to keep you little forever but I can't wait to see the amazing woman you will become

Marissa, you have a huge heart. You make room for your Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and friends. You have a wonderful memory; I wish you could share a bit of that gift with me.

Your smile is infectious! You brighten anyone's day

I am entertained by your creative imagination

I don't know sometimes how I can say NO to your small sweet dainty voice :-) You are my favorite sound.

I had NO IDEA the love I could possibly feel for a human being before you came into my life.

Kissing you, squeezing you, tickling you, hugging you, watching you, listening to you.....

I am so grateful you are in my world. I cannot believe I get to be your lucky mother :)

Thank you Marissa Bryn Truitt for the past 3 years- it has been truly AMAZING!

Shy of 6 months and 3 years old. My life

Chocolate Fruit Basket Cake

Badger Mountain

The kids and I hiked Badger Mountain today! Woowee..what a workout! We had fun but were exhausted after 2 1/2 hours. The nap afterwards was well deserved. I would like to hike Badger Mountain again without the kiddos :) Love you babies! But maybe Mommy can make better time by herself :) We'll see.

MARISSA DID A GREAT JOB! SHE FELT THE WORKOUT IN HER LEGS :)

THANK GOODNESS I HAD MOM & STEVE'S HELP

THE VIEW ON AN OVERCAST DAY :)

MY WORKOUT FOR THE DAY-OR YEAR!

Already the best of friends

I can't wait to see what these two will come up with in the future. We can already see the love between them. I'm so happy they will have eachother! Jackson adores his big sister and laughs at EVERYTHING she does! Marissa is a big helper with her little brother; making sure he has his blankets, binkys, and his favorite toys!