New Years in the land of ice and snow

The day after Christmas, we packed up the old van and drove to Vernal for a visit. We haven't been to Utah when there has been snow on the ground for 2 years. The temperature didn't get over 20 degrees the entire week we were there and at night it was below zero. Brrrrrr! My feet are cold just thinking about it! It was so fun spending time with my family! Thanks Mom and Dad for putting up with us! :)

We took the kids to the golf course sledding. I don't remember taking them when we lived in Utah, Braden and Paige LOVED it.




watch out for that jump! Check out B's boot. He's wearing a pair of my Mom's old boots from 1988...they were ugly but they worked! :)

Paige giggled all the way down everytime...

I grew up in a house just down the street from this golf course...I have some great memories of sledding here
On New Years Day, the whole family joined us. This is H's first time sledding...he only went down twice, I think he just didn't know how to handle the cold.

I said to B, "Hey Grumpy!" This is what I got...
I was so happy to spend time with Grandma! The care center had a New Years party complete with food and a dance...at 3:00 in the afternoon :) The kids had fun pushing her around in her wheelchair, it was a fun party!


We rang in the New Year at Wes' house. For the kids, we did it on "New York" time so they would get to bed. They loved that grape juice!
the kids with Gaga and Papa and H picking his nose

Christmas Eve hike

A few pictures from A & B's Peralta Trail hike...

little pieces of Christmas

Don't you just LOVE this time of year?! It gets a little stressful here and there but once the kids are out of school on Friday, we'll be able to focus more on the good stuff. These are just little pieces of December at our house

We made some homemade ornaments for the tree (I have to include the never-ending pile of laundry sitting on our couch in the background)
The sock countdown to Christmas. This is one of the kids favorite traditions that we started last year.

a gift from my parents (one of my favorite things)

I love all the ornaments that we've received and made over the years. The Chicago Bulls one is from 1997, our first Christmas
I never get tired of the ornaments the kids make...they make me happy
My mom sent this one to me this year. I've collected Wonder Woman stuff for a long time. As a child, I idolized her and honestly thought that I had super powers. I'll leave that story for another day...
No tree is complete without Hank Aaron. Grandma gave this to me. I spent many nights as a kid watching baseball with her so this one is special to me. I'm looking forward to seeing her over the holidays...I miss her like crazy

my favorite basketball player of all time (sometimes I look at this and think, 'I have Larry Bird in short shorts on my Christmas tree, have I lost it?')


my sweet little momma made these one year
last but not least, the good ol' star on top. Aaron and I bought this star the first Christmas we were married. We were poor college students that decided to splurge on a Christmas tree and some decorations at Kmart. The glitter is worn off and a light doesn't work on one side but I just couldn't part with it.

What font are you?

I thought this was a fun little quiz
What font are you?

(I'm Helvetica, what are you?)

my new favorite

this is one of those pictures that just brings pure joy and happiness to my soul.

I'm thankful to be their Mom :)

our last RV adventure

For our last RV adventure, we traveled down to Tombstone and Bisbee AZ this past weekend. Our friends Jeff and Adrienne own the RV and asked us last year if we wanted to share it with them for a year. We have had so much fun on our travels and have made some great memories with our kids. How will I ever go back to camping in a tent?! I've been spoiled! We traveled down to Tombstone in January, we had so much fun we decided to go there again. (and we wanted to stay south where it's warm)

the fam


When we came in January, we saw a show about the famous OK Corral shootout. This guy plays Doc Holliday. He was by far the best actor in the show and he was in full character when Braden asked for his picture. We saw him on "The Colbert Report" a few months ago, you can check it out here, it's pretty funny
in front of the famous Bird Cage Theatre

Allen Street

the kids wanted a picture in the coffin...

we were cracking up...

and Heston is just doing what his brother and sister are doing

Howdy pardner

Braden in Bisbee (can't see the B on the mountain very well)

downtown Bisbee. They had this great antique store there. We found a "Pigs in Space" lunch box like the one Aaron had as a kid.

us in Tombstone

one word sums it up...

my heart is full of love and gratitude for all my blessings

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving

what's up this week

The holidays are fast approaching and like many of you I've been running like crazy just trying to keep up with everything. I love the holidays and I'm looking forward to some relaxing family time.

This week, I had the pleasure of attending a defensive driving course. A few weeks ago on my way to take H to preschool, I was going 46 in a 35 through an intersection and was caught by the photo cameras. The speed limit is usually 45 on most roads here but I didn't realize this certain area was 35. The ticket was $210 (um, yeah that's not cheap) so I opted to pay $198 and attend a 5 hour class so that it doesn't go on my record and change my insurance rates. Good times...I have vowed to become a slower driver. I was telling Aaron that it was actually kind of nice in one aspect...I could sit for a couple of hours just focusing on 1 thing and not having anyone yelling for 'Mom'. :0)

This week at school, Braden received the Jaguar Award from his principal at flag ceremony. It was for being kind and respectful. I'm so proud of him :)

(hey Mom, you'll have to tell Gary and Maryann that B is representin' DD in AZ for them, he loves that shirt)

The weather here is beautiful so it's back to playing at the park. Our sweet little Paigey kinnny kin kins...my little buddy and crafty partner in crime :)

H had his preschool program yesterday. I told him to go get his shoes on, we hopped in the car and when we got there, I realized he had his Buzz slippers on. I laughed and thought he would be in the back, no one would see them. I bet you can guess where they put him on the stage...you guessed it...the front row. The curtain was closed and the kids were shuffling into place and I could see his slippers, in all their glory with lights blinking, under the curtain. It was cute...those are the things you don't want to forget.

JoJo Henry

The kids have wanted a pet for a long time. We've hesitated because they are a lot of work. (I've got my hands full with the 3 munchkins we have as it is) Last week, a cat started coming over. We're pretty sure it belongs to one of our neighbors because we've seen it around. We don't know if it's a boy or a girl but the kids have named it JoJo Henry. He/She (we're pretty sure it's a girl) waits by the patio for the kids to come home from school. It's cute to see the kids interact with Jojo.
Aaron's not convinced. He hates cats. Always has. Always will.
My mom on the other hand thinks it's adorable :)

Mission Beach, CA and BYU football game

I'm a little behind here...story of my life!
Last month, we took the RV down to San Diego for the BYU/San Diego State football game. On Friday, we spent the day at Mission Beach. The weather was absolutely perfect! Aaron bought some boogie boards for the kids and they had a blast. It was a fun day hanging out as a family. (I'm cherishing every moment of this stuff because these kids are growing up way too fast)

We went to Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday and did some tailgating before the game. When we went to find our seats, we were pleasantly surprised how close we were to the field.

my poor children...Aaron's turned them to the dark side (the Yankees)
No one tell my Grandma :)

some of the players came by after the game to say Hi to the fans. This is Harvey Unga.

OK now it's time for a helpful tip for all you parents out there that have little ones.

Nacho cheese is a good thing when you want your child to be good during a football game.

Hes will now demonstrate: