Christmas 2008!

Kelden was so excited to get his baseball set!
Kendi was so excited that Santa had brought her presents. She even told Chris and I when we told her Santa had come that she must have been very good the day before!

Baking cookies for Santa...

At Kohl's we were able to find these cute Santa helper aprons. Here is a photo of the kids baking Christmas treats for Santa.

Las Vegas Dec. 2008

Here are the kids and I in Vegas on the strip. They loved the lights!

Las Vegas Condo

Here are some pics of the kids at our condo in Las Vegas! They loved Vegas but mostly they loved the turn table in our dining room in the center of the table. Kendi, Kelden and Mommy went to Vegas with the kids nanny, Kristi the first week of Dec. for a few days. I was attending a travel show for my new agency and decided we all needed a vacation. Chris unfortunately had to stay home and work.

Cousins? Or should we say brothers almost?

Kelden and Erick. They have been best buddies since they were born! Even though they are cousins they act like brothers most of the time including the whole sibling fighting over toys they do that well!

Park City Condo over Thanksgiving weekend

Here are the kids at our condo in Park City! They had lots of fun with Uncle Brant and Auntie Jill, as well as Kim and Danny and Papa and Grandma Silvester. Thanks for making it a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend of shopping, swimming, movie night, and of course game nights.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from the Silvester's! I hope you all have had a great holiday! We have just finished up with the presents and of course santa! Well just wanted to tell all of you Happy Holidays!

Greetings Everyone... I thought I would add this photo of Kennedy and Kelden and daddy at our Ward's trunk or treat for Halloween this year!

Greetings All- Wow! How time flys when the holidays approach! Well we have been busy preparing for Thanksgiving at our home this year. We are also taking some time with the kids as I have the whole week of Thanksgiving off from work to spend with them making pies, and just hanging out! We are also preparing to go to our condo in PC for Thanksgiving weekend! We are excited to be able to have fun and shop the great sales at the outlets this year. Immediately following Thanksgiving weekend the kids and I and their nanny, Kristi are off to Las Vegas, or as Kendi says Vegas. There is a travel show in Las Vegas so we are packing up the family other then Chris, as he has to stay and work. We are leaving on Monday as I have to work my St. George route on Mon and Tues. and then off to Vegas for Wed and back home Thurs night. A quick trip but the kids will have fun swimming at the condo pool in Vegas. It's all work for me, and I hate gambling which is good since most people drop at least one hundred bucks at Vegas. Well we are preparing for the holidays and getting ready for the upcoming year!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Shanell

Greetings All... Well with Halloween officially over, and the remainder of the holidays soon on there way it is a great time to reflect at how truly blessed I am. Every day I pray and thank my heavenly father for my greatest gifts, my family Chris, Kenders, and Kelden. They have truly blessed my life and I am so happy to be a part of their life. As I reflect back on this past year with the end of 2008 fast approaching and soon will be time for those infamous New Year's resolutions I think back to my resolutions for this year. One of mine was to become closer to my heavenly father and I can honestly say I finally have accomplished one of my resolutions for once! I have never felt so close to my savior as I have these past few months. I know without a doubt that this wonderful gospel is true. With all the politics in the news lately I am so glad that I don't live in California with all the protestors at the Temple, and how scary that would be.

Well needless to say, we are very happy to be alive, have jobs to support our small family, and we are grateful for the chance and opportunity to have our children whom heavenly father has given us as a special gift.

This past few weeks I have spent some time with just the kids and we have been making cookies, and baking as Kendi loves that. I also have just played with them and laughed with them. We finally started FHE this past week. We bought those living scriptures DVD's before we had kids so we pulled one out and we were able to learn about Harriet Tubman this past week. It is really cool to hear Kendi tell me about her and how she walked a very long way to get to a better land as Kendi explains.

Well we are preparing for the holidays by Christmas shopping... Yes I love this holiday and shop all year round. We are also busy planning what to bring to Papa and Grandma Ilestor's as {Kenndedy says Grandma Silvester}. On Thanksgiving night we get the opportunity to go to our condo with Chris' family and spend the weekend, shopping, skiing, and hanging out. The day after we get back home from the condo in Park City, the kids and I are on our way to Las Vegas!!!! No not for gambling as I think it is a dumb thing to waste money, but on to a travel show, but not before we stop in St. George overnight to see some of my customers. Then we will return home and have a funfilled holiday season as mommy has 10 days off right by Christmas and New Years!

Well have a great holiday season!

Love,

Shanell

Kids Halloween Pics...2008

Hey all.... Well here is some pics of Kennedy and Kelden in their new halloween costumes!!! Kelden is a Penguin this year! Kennedy is a Flower this year! Enjoy your festivities we are sure enjoying ours!

Brant and Jills Wedding...Flower Girl and Ring Bearer

After Brant's wedding...

Well of course, I could not find my digital camera for Brant and Jill's wedding. So I don't have any pictures from that yet, but here are some after the wedding.... we all had a great time.

Daddy and Kelden all tuckered out from the wedding.
Kennedy snoozing on the couch.
Mommy and Kennedy resting together.

Crazy hair day...spending time in brothers room.

Kennedy and Kelden watching "toons" cartoons in Kelden's bedroom. We just switched to direct TV so now Kelden has a TV in his room to watch toons.
Here is one of our new favorite pictures. They love photos if you can't tell. The kids love spending time together and sometimes get along like this photo.

Swinging at papa and grandma "ilestors..."

Here are the kids at papa and grandma silvester's house. They love to spend time swinging on the swing set together and lounging on the hammack. We love you papa and grandma and love to spend time with you.
Kennedy being independent and swinging by herself. But she always says mommy and daddy watch me... and take a picture of me. She definitely loves her photo taken and loves to be the center of attention which is sometimes hard with a little brother.

Spaghetti anyone?

Kelden loves spaghetti. This is one of his favorite meals and I think you can see why... he loves to make a big mess when he eats.
Kennedy loves her pagetti as she calls it. As you can see she is only a little bit cleaner then her baby brother.

Go Big or Go Home?....

Kelden's first birthday party. Talk about going big or go home? We rented this large inflatable slide for all the kids and adults to play on for the day. It was lots of fun. Kennedy still asks where the slide went?
Kelden got a baby 4-wheeler from papa and grandma "ilestor" Silvester. Kennedy calls them papa and grandma ilestor. papa and grandma West also gave him a baby tractor to ride on as well. He and Kennedy love them the bikes the best and ride them each day.
Kelden's birthday cake. He of course loved the sugar high.
Kelden is very independent and he would climb up the stairs on the slide all by himself. It took him awhile to get up there but he loved it. He would meet daddy at the top and dad would make sure he was ready to go down the slide again by himself. Over all it was a great celebration and we want to thank everyone for there support and love. We love you.

West Family camping trip Jackson Hole WY over Labor Day!

Here are some pictures from our Labor Day West Family camp out. We travel to Jackson Hole, WY in hopes of seeing some bears. This year we did see a black bear in a tree near are camp site. You will see some pics of us on our hike at Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake is in Teton National Park. We all loved the camping trip despite it raining the last couple of days. You can see us backpacking with the kids at the Jenny Lake hike. The kids were able to ride the boat across and meet us at the waterfall with grandma West and the others while Papa West, Chris and I decided we would like to hike over to the water fall. It was a fabulous 2 mile hike. We were able to hike back with the kids. Thanks to papa and grandma West for helping us to learn about nature. We loved Jackson Hole as always and look forward to it each year! Others who came and enjoyed Jackson with us were: Chad and Christi Lunt and girls, great grandma and papa Lunt, great grandma West, Auntie Jaimie and Ryan, and Auntie Krista and Uncle Cort. Overall we had a great time with all of you. Thanks for the memories.

More pics from August Silvester Campout!

Top:
Kendi just chillin with her daddy! She is definitely daddy's little princess.

Next:
Kenders first horseback ride with Uncle Ned! She loves horses and is no longer afraid of them!

Below: Kennedy and Kelden hanging out by the horses at the ranch!

Bottom:
Kelden, Daddy {Chris} and Kennedy on the 4-wheeler!

We were able to borrow papa and grandma West's 4-wheeler and take some time by ourselves for some off-roading in the Uintah's during our Silvester Family Campout! Overall it was a fabulous weekend!

Kennedy at Silvester Family Campout!

Here is Kendi riding on daddy's shoulders! This is in August in Evanston, WY at Silvester Family Campout! Thanks great papa and great grandma for this fun weekend!

Wow what a week! Last weekend Brant and Jill Chris' brother and new bride were able to get married! They were married on Oct. 4th at Aspen Landing Reception center in SLC, Utah. It was a great event and a fabulous wedding! I truly believe weddings remind us of our own wedding day, and bring us closer as husband and wife. Kendi did great as the flower girl! It was pretty funny because she through all her flowers at the top of the stairs and still had the stairs and a walk way before she was done with her part in the wedding. It was really funny because after she walked down two stairs she realized she did not have any flowers left, and ran back up the stairs to collect what she could before the wedding planner told her it was okay and keep walking! Kelden was the most beautiful ring bearer. Although he will not walk by himself, so I held him as we both walked down the aisle carrying the ring pillow. The baby tuxedo he wore was very cute and Kennedy called her gold dress her princess dress! She still wants to wear it every day! She also turns on music every day and walks around the house carrying flowers, and anything she can find like a bouquet. She tells us she is going to marry Brant and Jill.

This weekend was very busy with the wedding but it was also a great spiritual boost as we were able to catch the last two sessions of conference! I get so excited when it comes time to hear the prophet speak to us. As we all know with the economy the way it is, and the financial crisis of banks and mortgage companies it is always good to hear the reassurance of the prophet Thomas S Monson. I definitely cannot wait until the next conference in the spring time.

Life is still very busy with work, and soon to be busy with family functions as the holidays are fast approaching! Christmas shopping anyone? I know it is scary to think about and I am a total Christmas person! This year we purchased a condo/time share and will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving evening and the remainder of the weekend in our condo at the Canyons resort! I am looking forward to the weekend with Chris' family and the skiing, {snowboarding for me} as I am finally not pregnant this year!!!! I am also looking forward to the day after thanksgiving shopping at the outlet mall! For those of you who do not get into this it is an extremely fun day to save a ton of money and run in craziness to get to the best deals! If you have kids... it is a must!

Well enjoy each day at a time and realize as the holidays approach... we are only on this earth for a short amount of time, and make memories that will last an eternity with your kids and family!

Love,

Shanell

Greetings from Boise, Idaho! Yes this week for work I am in the lovely town of Boise, Idaho. My kids are so happy to have their nanny Kristi back home from Disneyland. Last week she was able to take a nice vacation break and stay near Disneyland with her sister and friend. Work for me is crazy and busy. It is what we call in the office supply industry "Show Season". This basically means freebies for our consumers as they walk around a room where we tell them about our new products and what they should be buying. We also give them a sample of a new pen or something like this. If you have never been they are fun... if you do these each week they ae okay but sometimes drag along as the time goes by really slowly some days.

Chris' job is very busy as well. He just brought on a bank and is in the process of switching over there customers to process credit cards with his company. He enjoys his line of work and is very happy he made the switch and move.

Chris' brother Brant is getting married this weekend! Yeah! Congrats to Brant and Jill! The kids are so excited and have been practicing throwing rose petals all week, as Kendi is the flower girl!

Well other then that work is busy and life is going well. We are so grateful to have a roof over our head and jobs that feed the family.

Love,

Shanell

Kelden is now 1!!!

Yes it is true... we have survived a whole year with Kelden. He turned one years old on Sept. 6th! With all of his medical problems at the beginning I truly feel blessed to say that he is finally 1! We had a fun birthday celebration with both sides of our family! We rented one of those big blow up slides for 1/2 day so the kids would be entertained. A little over the top for a first birthday? Maybe, but it was great! The kids stayed entertained, Kelden had a great time opening up his gifts and eating cake! He also loved the slide as he was able to climb up the stairs by himself! Kendi had a great time as well. Although she did think it was her birthday, and the presents were hers. We explained her birthday was after santa comes, and on her birthday Kelden would not get any presents only her. She liked that it would be her birthday someday too!

Kendi has been really funny lately! When asked how old she is... she always says first and foremost "I turning pive." Or as we say 5. I always correct her and say No Kennedy remember you are two and a half. It's pretty funny to hear her tell people this!

Well other then Kelden's party now we are in full fletched wedding mode! Chris and I are not having another ceremony... his brother Brant is tying the knot! He is getting married to an amazing woman named Jill! She is fabulous and fits in with the family wonderfully! She is definitely the perfect match for Brant! They will be getting married on Oct. 4th! So we every weekend we have Bridal showers, or a Batchlorette party etc until the wedding on the 4th! Chris and I are truly proud of Brant and all his accomplishments in his life. We are so excited to have Jill be a part of our family. Kennedy and Kelden absolutely love their uncle Brant and are so excited to have a new Auntie Jill. Kendi calls them , "uncle Bran, and Auntie Jew. " Kenders will be their flower girl and Kelden will also walk down the aisle with Kenders. Maybe not exactly walk, as he does not want to do this by himself yet. He can walk with furniture, and people holding his hands but has not taken the first leap of faith as of yet. I know it will come and then watch out as he crawls super fast as it is. So when he walks he will just run everywhere. So needless to say we are excited to welcome Jill to the family. They have become one of our best friends and for this we are truly blessed.

Well other then the wedding we are getting prepared for the upcoming holidays! I am not a sponatneous person when it comes to the holidays. I like the plan the entire year and get things done as early as possible. Therefore Christmas shopping lasts all year. Not to mention we purchased the kids Halloween costumes in August! We are excited to have two toddlers and not babies this year. We will be enjoying watching the kids figure out what trick or treating is, and then seeing how they are with Santa Claus who is coming up fast as well. And before we know it 2008 will be closed and another year will begin.

Well I guess this is it for now! Remember to have a great Autumn with your family and kids. Get out there and carve pumpkins, go to a corn maze or just have a fun time at home. Remember your children are a gift from Heavenly Father and for that we should all be truly thankful. I know I am. Have a great day!
Love,

Shanell

First time for everything...

Well I guess there is always a first time for everything... yes even I am now branching out to the blogging phase. I do think this is a great way to branch out and keep better track of family and friends. So here it goes.

Well as m0st of you know Chris and I have been married now for just over 6.5 years. On Dec. 13th it will be our 7th year anniversary. Although we have had our ups and downs in married life, it has been a true blessing to be married to my best friend, and wonderful husband. We now have two amazing children Kennedy age 2.5 and Kelden 11 months.

Chris and I {Shanell} keep very busy with work, and life. Chris is now selling credit card processing to business' he is now the 3rd best sales person for Eliot Management Group nationwide and was offered a great job to advance within the company. He was offered a District Sales Manager job where he would be in charge of 14 states and all the sales force within those states. We both decided the 6 figure salary would not be worth the move to the East Coast, and never seeing Chris as he would be traveling each week. So with much thought we turned down the position and are here to stay in Utah for now.

I {Shanell} stay busy working as a manufacturer's representative a big name for sale rep. I work for Milne & Associates which is out of Englewood, CO. I get the wonderful opportunity of working from my home office, and traveling some between Southern Utah, and Idaho. I hold sales meetings, sales trainings, and give reps some samples of new Office Supplies, and show whats new for business furniture. It is a great job, and very fun and rewarding to be able to see my kids most days, and work from home alot of the time. I also have finished my degree in Travel and Tourism, from Penn Foster Career School. I have my travel agent license and we {Chris and I} have just opened our own travel agency. We named it: Streamline Travel LLC. I am truly excited to be finished with school, and also am glad that I have finally accomplished my dream of owning my own business and becoming a travel agent. We have a website for the agency where you can book your own travel http://streamlinetravel.agenthub.net

Kennedy is our little princess. She is busy to say the least. She is an amazing daughter! She has blessed our life with here presence since she was born on Feb. 12, 2006. She is 2.5 years old now, and with that comes the terrible twos, throwing fits, and potty training. On most days she is pretty good, and tries to share with her little brother, and play nicely. But at least once per day we have to stop the tantrum of Kelden took my blankie and I want all of the ones available in the house for me. But I guess this is part of the age. Kenders or Kendi as we call her loves to stack things... yes stack! Anything possible whether it be spoons, forks, toys, cards, puzzle pieces etc. She loves to stack them up as tall as she can. Then she places them all on the floor in a perfect row. It is amazing to see just how smart she truly is. She also loves to count and learn colors, and numbers. Thanks for Dora on TV she is even picking up some Spanish words. We also try and teach her how to count from 1-10 in English, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean.

Kelden is our little prince. He has alot different temperment then Kennedy ever had. He is very much to say a MaMa's boy. If I am around or even close to him he wants me to hold him, or pay attention to him. He is now 11 months old and we are planning his 1st birthday party! He was born on Sept. 6th 2007. He has been an amazing child, but has had so many health problems since he was born. He was due on Sept. 30th so as you can see he was born almost 3.5 weeks early or at 36.5 weeks. When I gave birth to him, he was breathing and doing well and thankfully did not have any complications at delivery, as was able to go home the next day from the hospital. The very next week at 7 days old he was struggling to breathe and was a turning at grayish blue at about 11 PM at night. Chris took him up to Wee Care Pediatrics and they rushed him to McKay Dee by ambulance. The Dr.s had told us one of his lungs was not working properly and he would be in the NICU. As I lived at the hospital for the next three days waiting to praying that my son would live. It was a scary experience and one that I hope will never have to do again. I remember while I was nursing him in the NICU and it was just Kelden and I... I remember telling him, if angels were coming to him to don't go with them, and stay with mommy because I needed him in my life. To say the least with that experience my testimony of the power of the priesthood has grown in leaps and bounds. A few days later, he was sent home with a monitor that would wake us up if he stopped breathing. Thank goodness it never happened again! The next month later he aquired pink eye. So we were giving him drops every few hours. And in Jan. 2008 he went in for his 4 month check up and was diagnosed with RSV and was placed in the hospital for another few days. Thank goodness since then we have had no problems to report other then the common cold.

After everything that has happened this past year...I am blessed and grateful to know how precious life is, and how wonderful family is. My family and Chris' family has helped us so much by watching Kennedy while I was in the hospital alot with Kelden. They also help all the time with Free babysitting of both kids so Chris and I can rejuvinate our relationship with a date night.

Well hopefully this is enough to get us starting on our quest to blog. We love you all, and our so happy you are apart of our lives.