My parents rented a house right outside of Sedona, AZ big enough for all of us to celebrate Christmas together. The house was way cool. It was adobe, had 3 wood burning fireplaces and was on 11 acres of land. The weather was very nice and the kids loved going outside to collect pine cones and just expolore. We did many other things too but my camera ran out of batteries on the second day so I don't have any pictures! :( Hopefully I can get some from my mom or sister. Right now I'm going to take a nap, it was a long week!

A picture of the whole Tippit gang gathered!

"Happy Holidays"

We're leaving today for our family trip to Sedona,AZ to spend time with the Tippits!

"I love to laugh"

- Mary Poppins

- This kid makes me laugh out loud.

-During the after Thanksgiving sale I bought a new camera for me :) I thought, for good measure, I'd upload the last few pictures off the old camera so they don't get forgotten. Apparently this is what Jeff does when I'm not around:














-We've been trying to stay warm in the record breaking snow storm that we had here! Davis is obsessed with his new gloves & beanie and Leah picked out these adorable ear muffs (that she calls her "ear phones") and wears them all the time! Cute girl :)

"School's Out"

-Alice Cooper

Jeff's graduated!
Again :)
He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy.
I think maybe now he's officially done with school
...for real this time ;)

Congratulations Jeff!

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey P. Leavitt, DPT
and family :)

"Hot as Las Vegas weather"

-"Work It' by Missy Elliot

It's snowed a few of the winters since Jeff and I moved here but we've never enjoyed it like the kids did today! They kept saying things like "Christmas is here" and "Is today a snow day?". At first they were all pretty excited to play in it but I don't have water-proof jackets for them so they only lasted a few minutes. Later on Leah and Davis collected some and ate it... I'm not even going to contemplate the amount of potential pollutants :)

"And you can dance"

- "Get into the Groove" by Madonna

Leah's dance recital was last night on "the big stage". When I picked her up from school she told me "Don't forget I have my dance recital tonight." Ha ha, does she know me or what (yes, I'm that forgetful)! A month ago when I told her there's going to be a recital she said she didn't want to do it because she wouldn't remember the steps. I told her she'd have 5 more weeks to practice and her teacher would be there during the performance to help her and then she was kinda okay with it. Over the next 5 weeks she grew more confident and really excited. She even made sure to invite her Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rod!
She might have been most excited about her Jasmine costume! She even told her kindergarten teacher all about it :)
Leah says: "I love to dance. I had fun with my friends and Ms. Eva. I loved to see the sugar plums and the candy canes too." Apparently the costumes for some of the other classes were called candy canes and sugar plums :)
One of the cutest things was during the finale. The younger class was supposed to march in a line in front of Leah's class but they were confused. Leah took it upon herself to wave them in and show them the line they were supposed to stand on. She's so helpful :)

"Northern downpour sends it's love"

-"Northern Downpour" by Panic at the Disco


My kids love Utah! We'll probably never live there again but some pretty cool people we know do.

We visited Xander in Cedar City and we got to see his new baby brother Foster for the first time. We don't have any pics of the baby though because my boys have been kinda sick lately so we looked but didn't touch.

Jeff's grandma lives in Cedar too. We all LOVE her so much!

This is Gray playing Grandma Peterson's organ. Doesn't his smile look mischievous? Kinda like The Grinch!?

Next was Alivia's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's in Orem.

Then Davis and I went to a BYU Men's volleyball game in Provo where Trent taught Davis to say "Cougars rule!", kinda... Davis says it wrong but insists he's right. Oh well, I went to SUU anyway ;)

The boys scootering at Trent's apartment :)

Trent blessed his new baby Will at church on Sunday. But before thier 2pm ward Leah had the chance to hold him a lot. She just LOVES babies!

"Flinch"

-Alanis Morissette




Check out those bite marks! I've always thought Gray's cheeks were good food storage, and we've often called them his "beef stock", but I never thought someone would try to taste 'em! I guess his cheek is just irresistible ;)

"Families Can Be Together Forever"

The Rod & Cindy Leavitt Family 2008

"They buy me all these ices."

-"My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas

As we were getting ready for family pics Leah asked "Can we go today and get my ears pierced?" Sure, why not :) She was so brave and when I asked her if it hurt she said "A little".

She picked out the cutest earrings too. They're flowers where each petal is a gem of a different color. Sparkly and rainbow, that's so her!

"Turkey for me, turkey for you"

- Adam Sandler's "Thanksgiving song"

These are the yahoos we spent Thanksgiving with!
Crazy doesn't even cover it ;)

To see the picture full size you can go to Janae's blog.

"Utopia"

- Alanis Morissette
Tis the season for concerts at the Leavitt house! Everyone is aware of my adoration of all things Alanis and that is never more evident than when I'm dancing at her sold- out concert :) When we first got there the seats were just folding chairs zip-tied together so we were instantly buddy-buddy with our neighbors if you know what I mean ;) The man sitting next to me felt it necessary to apologize "in advance" for his singing along to every song since he's a big fan, that's when I knew I was in heaven :) He and I talked about the new album, songs we hoped she sang from previous albums and previous concerts we'd been to. It turns out he attended the same Dave Mathew's Band concert in 2001 that Jeff and I went to on our honeymoon! Weird. Anyways, the concert was amazing and now I feel compelled to quote some of her amazing lyrics to share her amazingness with the world :)

Album: Flavors of Entanglement

Song: Versions of Violence
"Coercing or leaving
Shutting down and punishing
Running from rooms, defending
Withholding, justifying

These versions of violence
Sometimes subtle sometimes clear
And the ones that go unnoticed
Still leave their mark once disappeared"

Song: Incomplete
"One day I will be healed
I will gather my wounds forge the end of tragic comedy
I have been running so sweaty my whole life urgent for a finish line
I have been missing the rapture this whole time, of being forever incomplete"

Album: Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

Song: Thank U
"How 'bout me not blaming you for everything
How 'bout me enjoying the moment for once
How 'bout how good if feels to finally forgive you
How 'bout grieving it all one at a time"

Song: The Couch
"I've walked sometimes confused sometimes ready to crack open wide
sometimes indignant sometimes raw
can you imagine I pay him 75 dollars an hour
sometimes if feels like highway robbery
sometimes it's peanuts
I wish it could last a couple more hours"

"I Just Wanna Rock"

-Joe Satriani

In the course of our marriage Jeff has opened my eyes to many a new and fabulous thing. One of my favorites is my new love for guitar instrumental songs. Okay, calling it a love isn't quite fair but I'd say I have a deep appreciation :) What's my point? Listening to Joe Satriani shred on the guitar in concert for 2 1/2 hours was actually fun! I danced, watched some guys get kicked out, got stepped on by the security guard escorting the rowdy peeps out, and got picked up on by an old man who maybe thought Jeff and I were "just friends" ;) And yes, Mr. Satriani looks just like the picture I provided, sunglasses and all. I guess when you're as cool as him the sun shines for you at night ;)

** Jeff and I are totally famous! You can see our bright shining faces in the crowd on the video podcast! Good times. **

"Who Says You Can't Go Home"

-Bon Jovi

I had a fun time in Blythe this Saturday. It's good to touch base with my family and even see some of my extended family. It was fun to eat at Amapola too :) It's my family's favorite Mexican food place there and it's tradition to go even though you're going to gain at least 5lbs just for looking at the menu! The only other thing we did was look at Amber's impressive spread of Lia Sophia jewelry now that she's a consultant (my Mom hosted a party too but it was way before I got there). It's beautiful stuff and Amber's taught me the fun in "accessorizing" ;)

"This is Halloween"

~Panic at the Disco

We partied it up at our ward party last night and everyone said...

"Don't you just look incredible!?!"

Yeah, I guess we do :)Yes, Grayson has a pink balloon sword...don't judge him ;)

Leah and her friend Marie looking cute!

This is our first time dressing up with a family costume and it was soooo fun. The kids LOVED it!! And that's what it's all about :)

"Reinvent Love"

~ "Mad as Rabbits" by Panic at the Disco

I just love my kids in pjs! I bought them some new ones today and they looked so cute in them I just had to grab the camera.

Notice how Davis' eyes are so blue while Leah & Gray's are dark brown!

Grayson loves to "cheese" :)

They just love each other!

Gray's hair is curly on the sides!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

"In the sun we have found to be reflections of a sound"

~ "Reflections of a Sound" by Silverchair

I've been totally slacking on the "tags" lately. Sorry peeps.

8 Things I Did Today:

1. Took Davis with me grocery shopping
2. Went to another grocery store by myself
   
3. Walked with Davis & Gray to the park
4. Made sure they didn't hurt themselves at the park!
   
5. Laundry
   
6. Cooked a chuck roast in the Crock Pot
   
7. Ate the roast :)
8. Looked up wheat, dairy, corn & egg free recipes on the internet
   

8 Shows I Love to Watch:

1. So You Think You Can Dance
   
2. Gossip Girl

That's all! We don't have cable so those are the only shows I must watch. I used to be so cool and watch every show but now I just want to read. Lame ;)

8 Restaurants I Love:

1. Cafe Rio
   
2. Sushi Mon
   
3. The Maple Tree
4. Yassou's Greek Grill
   
5. P.F. Changs
6. Cheesecake Factory
7. Macaroni Grill
8. Kilroy's
   

8 Things I am Looking Forward to:

1. The Alanis concert Nov 15th!!!
   
2. Going to Blythe to see my Mom & Dad. I'm only going to be there one day (Nov 1st) and I'm driving down by myself. Well, I'll have Dashboard Confessionals to keep me company if you know what I mean ;)
   
3. Hanging out with my sister for one day without our kids!
   
4. My massage appt on Thursday.
   
5. Going to the gym tomorrow.
   
6. Getting a new washer & dryer very, very soon.
   
7. Being with the Tippit family this Christmas in Sedona.
8. The Twilight Movie :) Have you seen the new trailer, it's HOT!
   

"I won't sleep if you won't sleep"

- "The Secret's in the Telling" by Dashboard Confessionals

My sleep schedule's all messed up now. On Friday we had our Relief Society Overnighter and it was so fun I didn't bother wasting any of my time sleeping :) We played Phase 10, Spoons, a few "get to know you" games and then my friend and I stayed up finishing up a puzzle and chatting. It was super fun!! It's been a long time since I've stayed up so late that anything that happens is hysterical :) Ah, good times!

Thank you Jeff for watching the kids and not feeding them crap while I was away :) Muah!

"I know, it's been far too long"

~"Reflections of a Sound" by Silverchair

Sorry I've gone so long without a post. Thanks to all my adoring fans who called and texted me to make sure I wasn't dead :) Here's what we've been up to:

- We went out to Sushi Mon with some friends and came home to find the babysitters had "fixed" Davis' hair.
- See the mark on Gray's forehead? That's what happens when you pull a solid oak bar stool over on top of yourself. I think I need a nanny just keep him from hurting himself!

- Leah loves kindergarten and continues to be adorable and helpful at home.
She can:
~help her brothers buckle or unbuckle their seat belts
~let Davis "win" most of the time
~give Grayson a hug when he falls down
Now if only she could change Gray's dirty diaper :)

- Jeff and I also went to a concert last week. We saw Panic at the Disco, Plain White T's, Dashboard Confessionals and a local band The Cab. It was really fun!

Thank you Meema!!

My mom came for a few days this week and having her here was a big help! Jeff's been extra busy lately and I haven't been able to do much without my kids in tow. I love them but keeping track of them in a store takes ALL of my attention so I can't really shop with them there. I don't want to point fingers but it's Grayson :) He's in in the phase where he wants to walk all by himself (he won't hold my hand and he won't let me hold him) and simply keeping him from getting lost or run over is exhausting! Well, with my mom babysitting I was finally able to cross some things off my to-do list as well as get a massage :) It was great! Thanks Meema!!

"Even the best fall down sometimes"

~"Collide" by Howie Day

My kids LOVE to make messes. Mostly they say their making forts or houses or clubhouses but really they're just making a mess :) Yesterday they were occupied with their various building activities all day.

This is Davis' new bed.

Then he made a clubhouse.

But he wasn't sharing so Leah made her own.

But then, when the house was completely destroyed and you couldn't step anywhere without stepping on a pillow or blanket or toy or child, Leah tripped. I didn't see the catastrophic fall but I heard the screaming/crying! Apparently the fates where out to get her and she fell right on a can of peaches Davis had gotten out to eat "later". Ouch!

She did eventually stop crying but it took awhile! Then they all continued to happily make more messes for the rest of the day :)

Moral of the story: Being messy does have it's consequences!