Our December adventures

It is the last day of December and we are ready to start a new year!!! Already!! I can NOT even believe I am saying that! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We really did have a lot of fun visiting both Josh and my families. It was really great to get so many Christmas cards and read about what everyone is up to! We love that. So here's just a glimpse of what we did in the past few weeks. We arrived on the 23rd at my parents. Jake's 8th birthday was the next day.... (beware, this could get long....)
The biggest BYU fan in our family on his 8th birthday! Jake was thrilled at his new getup! (more to come about his birthday and baptism on another day!

Grandpa Ray, Josh, and Uncle Drew took the boys shooting guns up in the hills on Christmas Eve. The boys love shootin' guns with Grandpa! It was soooooo cold up there!

The kiddos in their matching Christmas jammies on the eve of the great holiday!

Of course, we made some for cousin Brooklyn too!
Christmas morning....And they found thier stockings full!

Luke with his new favorite toy....A John Deer tractor!

David with a his very own Ripstik! No longer does he have to wait to use Jake's!!

This picture is the best one we have so sorry it's hard to see. It's Jake holding his new Airsoft BB/Pellet gun. "Don't shoot your eye out!" Luckily, so far, so good, no injuries!

Amber, in love with her new American Girl Doll clothes. She was so happy Santa didn't forget!

We went skiing at a small resort by Cedar City, UT called Brianhead. It's perfect for the beginners! I am helping Luke on his first big run of the season!Jake stoked and ready to keep hitting those slopes!

David on a snowboard for the first time! He did pretty good until he had a big spill and wanted to go in!Amber...she has to say she likes snowboarding a lot better than skiing! We'll see...she's got a lifetime to figure that out!

Stephanie (my sister) and Kevin and thier kiddos came for an awesome visit! They came Monday evening and just left a few hours ago! We haven't seen each other for over two years! It was great to be with them. We headed into Salt Lake yesterday and visited different places. Here we are at the History Muesem of our church. The kids loved playing make believe and crafting!Steph and her youngest, Cole.

David, Jake, and cousins Brayden and Saydria.

Luke with cousins Cole and Kai! We had so much fun together! Good times, good times!

Phew! That was long! Hope you trudged through okay! Happy New Year!

'Tis the Season!

It was one of those days where your heart is warm and memories are made. Simple and sweet. After school, the kids played for a bit and then we decided to start making our gifts for our family members for Christmas. We had the Christmas music playing, the evergreen tree scented candle burning, and the weather wasn't frightful, but perfect for indoor activities! Well into our projects is when the snow really started to fall! It's the first good snowfall of the season. We had one in October but it didn't stick for longer than a 1/2 hour or so. So we had to run out and see the snow and how huge the flakes were!Luke, who is the perfect age for true happiness and excitement of this winter/Christmas season, was loving the snow! He stopped his paintings and wanted to play in the snow instead! He had to eat some first before we got on the snow hat, gloves, and coats! Then back out he went for more! He stayed until his little fingers could take no more and it was too dark for his eyes to see! What a good day!

A well needed update!

So I've been told I need to update the blog! Here we go...First off, I do have to say, I have been lazy about this!!! I've been so busy with the kids, church, and work, I haven't had much time to sit at the computer! Then, of course, when I want to, my computer acts up and shuts down on me several times in one sitting! So that's my lame excuse!
We went to my parents' home in Hurricane (by St. George) for the first few days of our Thanksgiving break and then up to Milford to Josh's parents' home for the last few days of the break. We had a good time and loved being able spend time with family and just relax! We could stay up late if we wanted, sleep in (if the kids were willing!), exercise at 8 am instead of 5:30 am! We visited, played games, watched movies, played basketball, and of course, ate lots of delicious food! I told my mom when we walked into her house on Wednesday evening that we just walked into food heaven! She had this beautiful spread just waiting for all of us to dive in and that was only the beginning! Well, with so much to be thankful for in our lives, we are thankful we are happy and healthy. We are thankful for this beautiful earth and our God who created it and everything for all of us. And of course, we are indeed thankful for our wonderful families and amazing friends!
We didn't take many pictures over the break (nothing new - we always bring the camera, but using it is a different story!) but here are a few of the kids at the park in Milford. Jake and David were playing football with cousin Austin, Josh, and Uncle Jeep. Amber was playing with the girls, mostly on the swings and playground. And Luke, well he was everywhere and I happen to catch a photo of him on the swings!
I'll TRY to be better at this!

David lost another tooth on Friday! Now he's singing..."All I Want For Christmas..."

Happy Birthday David!

I was so lucky to steal a moment to get a shot with the birthday boy himself!

He wanted to play football all night long with his new football getup!

David finally turned 6 yesterday! We weren't sure if the day was ever going to come! We have decided to give our kids the choice to have a friend party or a family party for their birthdays. So Davey being the brilliant little man that he is, he chose to have a family party! He knows how to play it right. You have a family party and you have more fun! Bless his little soul! He knows also how to save his mama a lot stress! So Dave Dog chose to go rock climbing, go to see High School Musical 3 and go to Chuck- a -rama for dinner on Saturday night! Rock climbing was fun for Davey and Jake, Amber was a little unsure of it. And Luke, well, he played basketball the entire time we were there. Dick's Sporting Goods in SLC has a huge 75 ft. climbing wall inside and the kids have been begging to go! So off we went. David got to about 25 ft. and got a little nervous, Jake got to 60 ft. and just wasn't quite sure what to do next, and then Amber got to 40ft and said that was enough! Jake and David are ready to go next time they said! This first time was a good test run.

After some climbing, we went to see HSM 3. For HSM fans, I think this third one blew the other two out of the water!! David and the kids had to agree. Of course it was cheesy and silly, but that's what the kids loved! Best of all, it was rated G and I believe it stuck to it. After the movie, we were so hungry so Chuck-a-rama was the place to go! Good choice Davey! He loves it because he can serve his own plates, getting what he wants, of course, and then at the end, he does the ice cream machine- by himself!!! What a cutie!
Then, Sunday being his official birthday, which he helped everyone know about, was filled with our normal family traditions...a big breakfast of choice, lots of decorations, lots of anticipation for gifts, lots of excitement, dinner of choice, followed with cake of choice and the awful long wait for gifts!
As seen above, he got a Broncos football uniform, including helmet, outfit, football and tennis shoes that are Broncos colors! All because he is a loyal fan and that's what he wants to be for Halloween! Love birthdays by Halloween!!!
Star Wars Legos for the Game Cube!! Wooo!! Hoooo!!! So excited!
Yummy cheesecake to top it all off!!

Proofreading!

Okay, I just looked at my blog after I made my last post. Did someone say proofread or edit or SOMETHING??? Please excuse the errors!

Football!!!

Jake is really loving his first year of flag football! He can't wait till next year because then he's eligible to play tackle! You have to be 8, and he can't wait!! For now he is having a blast and gets so excited about each practice and game. These pictures are of his last regular season game which was just on Sat, the 18th. This week is playoffs. His team is doing good and so they are expected to do okay in the playoffs. So fun!

Here he is, so proud of the flag he pulled for the first down of the game!

This was an awesome play! The other team threw a beautiful pass to their player and Jake was right there for the interception! It was perfect! He then ran in it for a touchdown! The ended up winning the game 46 -18! Go Colts!

I've been tagged!

Here's my photo from being tagged! Becky Thompson tagged me and I'm tagging whomever wants to do this is, and of course, anyone is more than welcome!! Hmmm, I'm thinking Steph, Nisha, Marlo, Drew, anyone else? Just post your fourth picture from your fourth picture folder. Bec, did I do that right? Anyway....here's mine! This is Luke, 5 months old!! What a cutie! So chunky! Gotta love him!

Surgery for Luke!

After having surgery yesterday morning, Luke is doing so much better today! I don't have any pictures to show of but just some news to pass along! It was nothing major, he had a tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy. Poor little fella has had strep throat 8 or 9 times ( I lost track!) since last year ! Thankfully the doctor suggested the procedure to be done or I was going to ask for it!! We don't want lil Luke to have to go through that anymore!
So after dealing with insurance companies (how we don't like 'em, but we really have to love 'em!), everything was a go and Luke was in and out on Friday morning! Before the surgery, on Thursday, I was explaining everything to Luke and he said, " I hate surgery! I don't have to go the doctor, I'm all better!" Poor guy, he was so mad!! Not for long though... the next morning when they got him all ready on the bed, they gave him a bag just stocked full with toys and little things he loves! It made it all better! Now, he gets all the popsicles, gum, and gatorade he wants! The doc said the gum helps he muscles get stronger quicker. Lucky dude! He would live on gum if I let him and now to be asked if he wants a piece of gum... Wow, I'm the coolest mom on earth!!!! Thank heavens for Loritab and Tylenol! It seems to help and he's well on his way to a good recovery!

Happy Birthday Amber!

Amber turns 10! It was exciting for her to enter the age of double digits! It's so hard to believe a decade of Amber's life has passed! Time flies and she's growing up fast!
She was so lucky to have a fun filled party packed with lots of friends, laughing, squealing and screaming, balloons, squealing and screaming, gifts, games, and squealing and screaming!!!!
Did I mention, there was squealing and screaming???? They had a blast!



Amber received many books, which is a love of hers.
This series she is holding is by Shannon Hale. A beloved LDS author. We were so lucky to have these books signed by Shannon Hale. The books include: Enna Burning, Goose Girl, and River Secrets. She also got another book called Princess Academy by S. Hale.

A new room is in store for our 10 year old! We got her a new bed spread and some paint to go with it (soft blue and green!), a nightstand, a bed lamp, and furniture in the future!
We went to the Gateway in SLC to have dinner and do some shopping. The kids are standing in front of a great water fountain that "dances" to the music! It was fun!

Grandpa's little Cowboy

"I'm so excited Mom! - I love my new outfit!"

Luke is the lucky recipient of my dad's little cowboy dress-ups! There is a special little connection between Luke and Grandpa Ray. I don't know if it's that they share the same birthday or that they look like twins! Maybe it's personalities or something yet to be seen. Either way, these two are adorable! When my dad was three he wore this cowboy outfit just as Luke is now! It's so special! We just got it in the mail last week and Luke has a new love - his cowboy gear! The outfit includes boots, a vest, chaps, a gun holster and a gun!We just need to get him a hat and he's set!

The little cowboy is all tuckered out after a great day of exciting play and make believe! Luke couldn't quite make it up to his bed and in seconds was asleep on the first step!

Something New

I have learned something new. I have always wanted to do this and I was never quite sure how to. I have taken up CANNING! There are so many people around here that know how so I've picked their brains (AND SO MUCH TIME!) so that I could learn how myself. Of course, it will take time to continue to do and I would like to learn more techniques and other fruits and veggies for the future.

So here is the run down on what I've done... 2 weeks ago I put up (with the help of my friend, Heidi Nordgren) 12 pints of apricot jam. Heidi has an apricot tree and she allowed me to help her pick the fruit and process it. I had done freezer jam but not cooked jam. I loved it. And of course, how yummy! Then, on Tuesday I made salsa. The tomatoes were from my garden and Heidi's garden. The bell peppers were from my garden and the other hot peppers were from Heidi's garden. The rest, dang it, were from the store. So we made it and processed that too. It made 17 pints. Then yesterday, my nieghbor, Kristen helped me put up my peaches. I bought a bushel and was able to get 22 quarts out of it! I just love this! Thanks to these ladies for their time and knowledge! ( Oh, if you counted the bottles in the picture, yep, they don't match the numbers I wrote...I gave some away!)

Soccer!

David gives a big grin for all of us at his second soccer game! He has totally loved playing this season! He's so anxious for every practice and game! He's one of the tallest, if not THE tallest player on his team. He goes after that ball like there is no tomorrow! Check out that defense!! David is not going to let his opponent get that ball!
Amber's first official game was on Saturday, the 6th. They are a competative traveling team. This first game was in Park City and we won 5-0! It was so fun to watch. The team's name is Stansbury Elite: Extreme! but of course, we just say Extreme. Their coach is just outstanding. He really coaches -teaches and is patient! Amber just loves it all! This particular picture shows Am taking the ball away from her opponent, something she's really good at!
CHEESE! I had to get a quick facial shot in between plays!
So on with the soccer season we go! It's so much fun to watch the kids play! We are just waiting for Jake's flag football season to start. I guess I should say, the games to start. They've been practicing for several weeks now but have had some issues with uniforms for the whole organization so we've already had to postpone one game and hopefully we can start this coming Saturday! Here we go.....