Sammy Received Some Special Recognition

We're Expecting

The Utley family is so excited to announce that there will be an addition to our family. It's been a long wait full of heartfelt prayers but we are so grateful for the added love that is going to be apart of our family.

We'd like to introduce to you REMY soon to be mother of 4-18 hamster puppies.

Since the tragic death of Roudy, Sammy has been asking, praying, and begging to return to Santa's workshop to buy a new hamster. Last night we finally did it. Brett told us to get a long hair baby hamster. The pet store didn't have any to fit that description so instead we bought this adorable orange creamcicle short hair hamster who is going to drop a litter of pups any day. Isn't that exciting. Now we will be able to have a reply stock of hamsters in our own home. All for the price of ONE!

The Festival is Over and Christmas has begun

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you enjoyed all my posts about the Festival of trees, because I sure enjoyed being apart of the fun. Now that the Festival is over it's time for me to focus more on family. That's just what I did this weekend. First on Friday, I got in an accident. Yes I rear ended a Dodge Stratus stopped the red light heading East on 4100 South at the corner of 6000 West. Gratefully all passengers involved were not hurt. I wish I could say the same about the Stratus and my Durango. (no I wasn't eating, talking on the phone, texting, or even thinking about Twilight) I was looking at the bumper sticker of two female signs decorated in rainbows on the Stratus. The light turned green, I went GO, the Stratus didn't. Samantha summed it all up when my mother came and picked her up at the scene of the crash "It's okay Nana we're not hurt we just crashed" Now I'm driving around in a rental Kia minivan much to the chagrin of Brett's manhood. The Durango is in the shop and should be as good as new next week. Thank goodness for a wonderful Auto Insurance Company. Saturday, Sammy and I enjoyed Breakfast at the Rogers with Santa Claus. This is a wonderful tradition my Aunt always hosts. My entire extended family arrives at her house at this horrible hour on a Saturday Morning...8am. We enjoy a delightful breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham, hashbrowns, muffins, and your choice of orange juice or chocolate milk. Lucky for me, my dad remembered to pack the Pepsi for my particular morning juice of choice. After Breakfast we clean up and make room for a special guest. Santa arrives to read us a Christmas story, ask each of the kids for their Christmas wish list, then he poses for family pictures. After Santa has spread his cheer the cousins gear up for the Cousin gift exchange. This year Samantha gave to Kaetlyn, she's fifteen and she asked Santa for anyhthing Twilight related. Well Merry Christmas to Kaetlyn who received a Twilight Movie Calendar and also the Illustrated Twilight Movie Companion from Sammy. Samantha received a "Pretty Pretty Princess Cinderella" board game from my cousin Cayde. Samantha loves to play pretty pretty princess whenever she goes to Cayde's house, and he's such a good sport to play with her. It takes a real man of 16 to wear a crown, earings, necklace, and a bracelet with his five year old second cousin. Sunday I came down with a terrible cough, chest congestion, and sore throat. Sammy too was suffering from the same elements. Brett stayed home from church to help nurse his girls. We started feeling better that evening, or else stir crazy from staying home all day so we put up our Christmas decorations as a family. Family isn't it about time. Now the week is in full swing again, we are back at work, Sammy is back at school and doing well in her class. She's even reading on a first grade level. Smart kids are a blessing and a curse. She's absorbing every morsel of knowledge she can, however the task that is especially difficult for her parents is keeping up with her.

A Cullen Christmas

Festival of Trees

I've been a little busy this past month, what with the Twilight Movie being released, a trip up to Boise for work, and Thanksgiving, I haven't had a lot of time to blog about our family. Probably because I haven't seen much of my family this past month.

All because I got a crazy idea this past summer that my group the SLTA should decorate a tree for the Festival of Trees. Unfortunately for me, my group hardly ever says NO to my crazy antics, fortunately for the Festival my friends jumped on the bandwagon and helped me create a pretty amazing tree.

I am surrounded by the most amazing and talent women I know. I simply say "I have a vision of a decorated Twilight Themed tree for the Festival" and they all make that vision come true. Committees were formed to decorate the tree, put presents under the tree, and find financing through various donations. And the final product is simply amazing. So amazing in fact that the Publicity department of the Festival asked us to be apart of three different news productions. Kjzz 14's Home Team, Park City TV, and KSL Eyewitness News at 4pm. Our tree was even highlighted in the Deseret News Wednesday December 3, 2008.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com