Jake loving the snow

Jake loves to snowmobile. We weren't sure how much snow would be at my parents' cabin since the storms were late this year. Jake was not disappointed. We got to the cabin & it wasn't long before he was working on the snowmobiles to help get them ready. After playing with the kids for a while he decided it was his turn to take off & do some jumps. There was a lot of powder & so taking off the jumps & landing it was just a big puff of snow. He got a lot of air, but it was hard to tell with the powder blowing all over. It gave him a good ride & thankfully he didn't get hurt.

Time in McCall with Family

We went up to my parents' cabin the day after Christmas to spend some time together. It is so beautiful up there & so much fun. Saturday we spent hours outside playing in the snow, riding the snowmobiles & making good sledding hills. It was overcast, but it didn't feel that cold out so it made it much more bearable to be outside. The kids loved being pulled behind the snowmobile on a tube, riding the snowmobile, throwing snow at each other, sledding & just having fun. The yard is perfect for all these activities. The lake goes down enough that it gives us more room to snowmobile. There are even areas where the guys can do jumps with the snowmobiles. It's the perfect place!! We had lots of fun being together and are grateful to my parents for allowing us all to go up there together.

Melissa & Rachel trying to walk through the deep snow to find a good sledding place.

Brooklyn & I enjoying our time on the tube. She loved being outside and had so much fun on the snowmobiles, too.

Brooklyn & her cousin, Avery are best friends. They like to be together even when they don't get along.

Jake took the kids around for hours on the tube. He is so good with the kids.

Allie really like sledding down the hills. It wasn't too fast & the hill wasn't too hard to walk back up.

The gang all outside enjoying the snow & company.

Allie & Brooklyn stayed on the snowmobile long enough that it relaxed them & even put Allie to sleep.

Melissa & Brittany loved jumping onto the tubes as it drove around.

Greg with his son, Max, going down one of the sledding hills. They live in CA so this was new for Max. He did seem to enjoy it.

We loved being outside together as a family.

Christmas Day 2008

Christmas, this year, was a lot of fun. It's not because the kids got a lot of presents--they didn't. We followed the same plan we had last year-one main gift & a few other small things. It's been so fun to see them so excited over what they get even though it's not a lot. I always start shopping in November & then watch the deals throughout December to make sure I get the best deals. That definitely keeps me happier-spending less money. For the most part, the best deals have been in November. Anyway, it was a nice quiet Christmas morning. The girls slept in until about 8:30AM & they finally came down to our room & climbed on our bed. They started getting very excited so we had them line up on the stairs so we could check & see if Santa had come. It's fun to watch the excitement & see their eyes light up. Since we don't buy a lot of big things for them, they usually get something they really wanted & they enjoy it so much more. And yes there are limits--sorry, Melissa, still no cell phone. =) We spent the morning putting some of their things together before we headed over to my parents' home. We got together with my family for brunch & spent the afternoon together. We went home just before dinner & then got a phone call that we needed to go back to my parents' house. We had no idea why we needed to go back. No one would give us any clues as to what was going on. After we finished eating, we hopped back into the car & headed over. When we walked in the front door, my youngest sister Deborah & her family were there to greet us. They live in S. California & we didn't think they were coming. What a wonderful surprise!! It was so good to see her with her husband & 2 cute boys.

The girls lined up on the stairs waiting for the ok to head off into the family room. Once we said "come on in" they took off as quickly as they could to find what Santa had brought them.


Nicole with her new boombox

Brooklyn trying to figure out how to get the wrapping paper off her playhouse.

Melissa excited over her ipod dock

Brittany is our future fashion designer. It didn't take her long to start drawing out her ideas.

The girls got really excited over the family gift. This was my deal of the year. Thanks, RC Willey!

Allie got a karaoke machine. She is our little singer & she thought it was great to have a real microphone so she could perform to her favorite songs.


Deborah, her husband Greg & Max & Cole. Cute family! Thanks for coming!!

Christmas Eve

This year, we all got together at my parents' home for Christmas Eve. It was a very enjoyable evening being together with almost the whole family. The grandchildren acted out the Nativity Story & it was just beautiful. They were very serious & did an amazing job. They were very excited & performed so well. All the parents were very proud & took pictures throughout the whole thing. Thanks, to their Aunt Lucy, for helping them learn it & practice so many times. =)


My Dad read to us out of the Bible the story of Christ's birth. It's not a long story, but it is always a sweet moment to take the time to read it straight out of the Bible & truly reflect on Christ's birth.


Chris, my brother, was born on Christmas Day, so we took some time tonight to wish him a happy birthday & enjoy cake & ice cream.


The kids always get excited when it's time to open their Christmas Eve gift. They know it's going to be pj's, but they still get crazy & can hardly wait to rip the wrapping paper off. All the grandkids looked so cute & comfy in their new pajamas.



The girls got the sugar cookies & egg nog ready for Santa. Brooklyn got some reindeer food from nursery at church, so she & Jake sprinkled it on the grass for Santa's helpers. They braved the strong winds to feed the reindeer.

Christmas Season

I love the Christmas season!! I don't particularly like the commercialized Christmas--fighting the crowds, spending money & stuck in traffic. I don't feel the Christmas Spirit in those situations. I do love the smells, the sights, the sounds. I love turning on my Christmas music & listening to it almost nonstop until New Years. I love seeing the Christmas lights & seeing my kids faces light up when we see a really decked out house with lights. I love the smells of all the yummy foods that we make or receive from friends. The whole experience just makes me realize how much people like to do things for others. It's so nice to see people smile & want to do something nice for someone else. It's this time of year that I see so many acts of kindness & love towards others & we think more of Christ & His life. I always wonder why it doesn't last the whole year, but maybe that's why this time of year is so much more meaningful cause we notice it more & are grateful when good things happen. Whatever the reason, I love the feelings I have this time of year & always look forward to this season each year.

The girls enjoying putting a gingerbread house together

One of the many houses we enjoyed seeing this year. Our favorites are the houses with the lights synced to music on their own radio station

The girls ready for church in their Christmas dresses

Toys for Tots

Today, we took the kids to buy toys for the "Toys for Tots" program. We like to do something every year for others so our kids can think about those children who don't get much of a Christmas & realize how much they do have. They really enjoy doing this & I've been happy to see how excited they are to fill up the cart with gifts they know they aren't getting for themselves. I hope it is somehow teaching them a lesson about helping others, thinking about others & understanding how blessed they are in their lives.

Brittany's Christmas Program

Brittany's school had a Christmas program today. It was put on by the 4th & 5th graders. They did such a great job. Lots of kids were involved by saying parts, singing parts or playing instruments. The theme was "Christmas Around the World" and so they sang different songs that came from different countries & shared some traditions. It was so nice to be at an actual Christmas concert & not just a "winter program". I just don't understand why people are so offended to learn about other cultures, religions & traditions. I have always felt that if my children learn about other ways people live then they are more accepting & understanding of others and also more grateful & stronger in who they are and what they believe. I wish more people felt that way so we didn't have to limit so much of what is taught or celebrated in our schools.
Brittany had a part in her program & she did a great job. The children all sang the songs beautifully & several times I had tears in my eyes listening to them. I love seeing all these children perform, especially at Christmas time. It always helps to get in the Christmas mood.

Making goodies with family

My new sister-in-law, planned a day for all of us to get together & make a ton of goodies. Kami (another sister-in-law) was kind enough to let us all be at her house with our kids. The kids enjoyed playing together & the adults enjoyed the conversations & eating lots of yummy food. We had a huge range of goodies--3 types of fudge, Italian Christmas cookies, sugar cookies, dipped pretzels, English toffee, carmels, oreo balls...so much was going on I couldn't keep track of all that was being made. Most everything tasted delicious. A few things didn't turn out (I think I had the worst luck of them all), but we definitely got our tummies filled more than they should have been. Annette made a delicious wassail & Kami had some yummy treats already made, too. We spent the entire day there & left with plates & baggies full of food. It was so fun to spend time together during this holiday season. Thanks, Annette, for putting it all together!!

Christmas Recitals

Brittany & Melissa both had recitals on the same night. We were able to attend Brittany's recital, but then Jake had to leave early to get to Melissa's orchestra concert at the middle school. It's a crazy time of year, but it's fun to see the girls share their talents & see them feel so much pride in their performances. Brittany is doing so well on the piano. She is really enjoying it & doesn't even have to be asked to practice. She gets up every morning before school & practices on her own. How often does that happen? I know I didn't do it growing up. Melissa continues to enjoy the violin. She is very talented with it & performs well. She doesn't seem to be as motivated as Brittany with her practicing, but she does get it done & she, too, is improving so much. I love watching my girls perform. They have a natural talent with their instruments.

What is she doing?

Brooklyn is so funny & sometimes I just don't know what goes through her head. She has been very excited about the "Swimming baby" that she got for her birthday. She talks about it all the time to everyone. When she was at the playroom at my gym the other day, she decided to show the girl that watched her there how the swimming baby moves around. Brooklyn got down on her hands & knees & started moving all around the floor. When she got up there was a big red mark on her forehead. Apparently, she put her head all the way on the floor & gave herself a rug burn. When I went to get her out of the playroom the gal was telling how Brooklyn got the mark on her face. I hadn't ever seen her do that before so when we got home I wanted her to show me. She got right down on the floor & started doing it again. She doesn't seem to know there is a big scab on her forehead & will drag her head on the floor anytime someone asks to see how the swimming baby moves. Hopefully she'll quit doing it so her head can heal.











Brooklyn moving on the floor demonstrating how her swimming baby swims in the tub.











I really don't think she knows about the wound she gave herself. She just likes smiling for the camera.

She continues to amaze us!

Brooklyn has started watching this Leapfrog video "The Letter Factory". She liked it a little at first, but now it's her favorite movie. It didn't take long for her to start singing the letter sounds from the movie. She would say the sounds of "A" and "B", but I didn't question her on any of the other letters. I was so excited she had learned a couple of them. The other night I was getting her ready for bed & I started asking her the letter sounds of each letter. We went through the entire alphabet & she knew every single sound of each letter. I was totally shocked!! She didn't have to think about them either--she would say the sound as soon as I said the letter. I am a total believer in the video. They have at least 2 more videos where they put letters together to make words (Allie is liking "The Talking Word Factory") and then there is a math one & storybook one. The videos are really cute & very educational. They are only about $10.00, too. If you want a good recommendation for something to teach your children the alphabet or how to read, try out Leapfrog!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with Jake's family this year down in Utah. His parents rented a cabin up at Sundance so we were all able to stay together in one place. It was a beautiful area, but surprisingly, no snow. After driving up to the cabin, we were glad there was no snow on the roads--it was steep & could have been pretty dangerous.
We enjoyed being with Jake's family & we had a good time. It's always fun for the kids to get together with their cousins & just play. I think Allie got a bit overwhelmed with all the boys around, but she figured out how to get them to play card games or Candyland with her & have a little calmness during the games. There was lots of food, many conversations, games, Rock Band, service project of making blankets for elderly people, hikes and Nerf gun wars. There was always something going on & plenty of eating yummy food. Of course, it wouldn't be a family gathering without someone being sick. Fortunately, this year, it didn't go through as many people as last year. Thanks to everyone for all they did to make this weekend so much fun. You are all the best!!
On Saturday our family took a quick trip to BYU to buy some souvenirs then headed up to Park City. We met everyone at the outlets & then our family went up the mountain to the Olympic Park from the 2002 Olympics. We walked through the museum & then walked around a little bit seeing the ski jumps & bobsled track. We then headed to SLC to walk at Temple Square & see the Christmas lights. It is always so beautiful there. It was extremely busy & we had to keep our kids close so they didn't get lost in the crowd, but it was fun to walk around.
We are grateful to Jake's parents for making it possible for all of us to spend Thanksgiving together. We enjoy spending time with family & making new memories.


Allie learning how to get a turkey ready for dinner.

My kids got their first exposure to Rock Band & got hooked pretty fast. Melissa liked the vocals, Nicole got the beat on the drums & Brittany rocked out on the guitar.

Brooklyn had a little party for her birthday put on by her aunts, uncles, cousins & grandparents. They were all so sweet to remember her birthday. She loved all her gifts & still talks about having a birthday.

Brittany learning to tie a quilt from Grammie. She loved putting these blankets together. She stuck with it until the end. We hope the elderly people enjoy these quilts. Great idea, Karen!

Erin was teaching Melissa how to sew on the sewing machine. I think my girls have found a new talent & may be wanting me to pull out my sewing machine so they can practice some more.

The kids enjoying the hike up the mountain. It was a little slippery, so we didn't go too far.

The kids had almost as much fun with the nerf guns as the adult guys. It felt like a war zone at times.

The girls all riding together in a bobsled. When there isn't any training going on, you can actually ride down the slope. I might even try that one--what a rush that would be!

The girls at the top of Olympic Park. I can't imagine how crazy it was up here during the Olympics. Glad we didn't have to fight the rush today.

Enjoying the Christmas lights at Temple Square. What a beautiful place!!