look what the new year is bringing....

baby reeder will be joining us in july.

we couldn't be happier.

happy new year!

love,

danny, shante, and baby

we're back!!!

lots of pictures.

lots of laundry.

more to come.

hope your christmas was a merry one.

ours sure was.

wishing you.....

a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! this month has been jam packed with lots of fun filled holiday activities. i love this time of year. it always reminds me of how grateful i am for all of you wonderful people. i love the spirit that fills my home, the beautiful lights, white fluffy snow, yummy food, seeing family and friends, and being reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

we recently planned a trip to the Utah Food Bank with some of our closest friends. it was so much fun to get together and really put into perspective how fortunate we all are. after we finished up there, we headed to Stoneground for a delicious dinner. thank you to all of those who made it! i think it could be the start of a new tradition...

we also took a stroll through Temple Square with the Reeder family. of course we picked the coldest night to go but it is something that you just can't miss out on each December. it is truly amazing how magnificent the temple grounds are with all of the twinkling lights. those of you who live elsewhere (you know who you are) were missed greatly. the holidays just aren't the same with out you here.

tomorrow danny and i leave with my family for a ten day trip to the tropics. we can hardly wait to get away from the chilly temps. although i will miss the usual christmas traditions, i think i'll soon get over it as i'm basking in the sun with a book, my hubbie, and a pina colada.

merry christmas! from our family to yours.

two six

the mr. turned twenty six last weekend. that's a big number. well- bigger than the one eight he was when i met him. crazy to think i was a pre pubescent fifteen year old girl with flattering metal braces to top it off the first time we laid eyes on each other. ahhh... memories.

we celebrated with some of our closest friends at his favorite restaurant and finished it off with family parties. he was spoiled.

some of you might be wondering what his one and only birthday wish was. this grown, twenty six year old, boy/man (depending on the day) asked me, the wife, for an entire day of uninterrupted Call of Duty game playing time. accompanied by an entire costco chicken pot pie. he informed me i can be home on this day of days but am forbidden to ask anything of him. this includes laundry, dishes, making beds, cleaning bathrooms, doing yard work, etc.

so... if anyone is doing anything fun on saturday let me know. because i'll be banned from his presence until 12:01 am sunday morning.

i love you to the moon and back darlin. thanks for making it so easy to love you. happy birthday!

hello again...

well, it's been a while. a long while. i've missed the blogging world. but-the break was much needed. our little family has learned a lot in the past year. we'd like to share a few with you:

*never take what you have for granted. one day you might wake up and it could all be different.

*it's not the things in life that are important. it's the people.

*sometimes, right before the greatest things happen, a storm hits. but, the storm always passes and you realize that you are stronger than you thought.

*someone always has it worse than you do.

*don't be afraid to fight for what you want.

*who cares what people think. as long as you are happy, that's all that matters.

*your true friends will love you and be by your side no matter what.

*your family is what keeps you together when you're falling apart.

*never be afraid to admit that you were wrong.

*real, true, overwhelming love is worth fighting for.

*never forget to forgive those who have wronged you. you never know when you'll be the one asking for forgiveness.

*life is too short to worry about every little thing.

*there is ALWAYS room for a second chance.

we've accumulated quite the list. but, are so grateful for all the life lessons learned. so... welcome back to the Reeder Family Blog.

we've missed you.

back to real life

i have been on a break. a break from life. it was just peachy! as mentioned on the previous post, i flew to missouri to surprise my sister-in-law aimee. i've spent the last 9 days in pj's. (no lie) we did a whole lot of nothing and it was splendid. for doing nothing, my trip seemed to fly by and now it is time to go back to responsibilities and getting ready for the day.

don't think that just because i was on vacation we didn't have several projects to do. aimee needed a bit of inspiration for the littles bedroom. i guess i was just that because we had that room painted and ready to go in no time. i for one think it turned out just perfect.

million question a day jackson. this little guy is sure growing up fast. i was asked multiple times in a day how certain words were spelled, what letters made what sound, asked for a snack every 5 minutes, and entertained like there was no tomorrow by his funny little personality. even though he loves me, i think he wished his uncle daniel was there to "karate chop" and give "wedgies".

we took many walks. one of which was at a beautiful state park right up the street.

one of the highlights of the trip was driving to jefferson city to watch the tour of missouri. it was such a cool atmosphere to be in and the support for the riders was incredible. it made me want to jump on my bike and join.

all dressed up for church.

miss o. she has some major attitude and sass. olivia says no more than anything else and gives the best kisses imaginable. she really doesn;t like being told its bedtime and she LOVES treats. that my kind of girl.

good bye smith family. i love you all so very much. thank you for your hospitality, mosquito bites, walks throughout the town, google-ing, late night bowls of cereal, advice, comfort, and most importantly, introducing me to chocolate animal crackers. see you all again very soon! xoxo.... shante

MO-town

you heard right... MO-town, as in MISSOURI. i have left the beehive state for a SURPRISE visit to a little town called kirksville to stay with the beloved smith family. i get to look at these cute faces all day long for nine days straight. i'm sure i'll have an abundance of photos to share when i return. until then... will someone please check in on my hubbie from time to time?