Christmas Came and Went

What a great Christmas we had this year!  I love it when my toughest critic (Zander) says it was the best Christmas ever.  ;)  [No pressure on next year of course.]

On Christmas Eve we decorated cookies for Santa, enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner at Granny Goon's (and stayed way too late) where Syler got to sit on Santa's lap and made sure to ask after the reindeer.  When we finally got home, we watched our annual Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, then went to bed so Santa could come! 

On Christmas morning we slept in until 8:30am (Dad's favorite part), opened presents (Syler put his away as he opened them--Mom's favorite part), then went to breakfast made by Grandpa Hugo.  After all that excitement we visited Grandpa Goble and went home for a long winter's nap!  :)

I hope next year is equally exciting, with a little less exhaustion--of course we'll have a new member in the family so who knows.  Here's hoping!

Halloween Extravaganza!

We had such a great time for Halloween this year.  I'm a little late, but I finally got all my pictures!  Can anyone tell what my apron says????

It's About Time!

Wow! I have totally slacked off in the blog department.  I think that is mostly due to having so much to say and no time to say it.  Well, I'm afraid I'll again have to sum it up.

AUGUST:  Vacation!!!  We went to Oregon (finally) for a freaking fantastic time.  We saw a whale outside our room every day but one--the day we were gone all day.  We also saw the world's largest sea lion cave, 2 light houses, and watched a man glass blowing.  The beach was cold and the water was FREEZING!  We loved every minute--except maybe the long drive and the boat.

Whale from our room!

View from our room!

More AUGUST:  I slipped away for a girl's weekend to St. George!  Then I ended the month with a fabulous birthday--in which I got that camera I hinted for.  :)

SEPTEMBER:  School started!  September ended.  (That was fast!)

OCTOBER:  Halfway over and I don't know where it even started.  We did manage to squeeze in some family photo time.  I posted my favorites on the left side of this blog.  I hope we get some great Halloween photos to include soon!

July in a Blur.

July was filled with outings--Library activities, Park excursions, Dick's program for kids, etc.  Most pictures were taken with my sisters' cameras (I need a camera I can stick in my purse--hint hint, Spencer) so I only got a couple from my phone camera (not a great camera).

Here are the kids watermelon-bowling.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing events of July was Ellsworth.

That's right.  Zander's cousin bribed him with candy so she could dress him up like this.

And then came August...

I Love Birthdays!

My sweet baby turned 2 on the 13th of this month!  I can't believe he's growing so quickly.  I was just talking to him today as if he could understand everything I was saying, and then he responded--that's right, he CAN understand everything (or almost) that I'm saying!

Anyway, for his birthday he enjoyed his favorite meal--spaghetti.






Then for his cake he got gingerbread--since that's the first thing he helped to cook (at 1 week old).

And for his birthday my little chef got some
pots/pans with a little food mixed in from his best friend Payton.

He got blocks on wheels from the Pedersens, Bubbles from The Grandparents (along with money for savings), a baby pterodactyl and smurf DVD from his parents, but the best present of all came a couple days later...

...the chef's new kitchen!

What an awesome birthday!  Happy Birthday my Sy.

An AMAZING Family

Last Saturday my family (parents, siblings, etc.) pulled out all the stops to raise money for an amazing family in need.  I felt so blessed to be a part of this adventure.  I was also sincerely humbled by those neighbors in my own ward, and a long all-but-lost friend, that came to help me help others.  This was perhaps the first of many opportunities for the People Helping the People to bring about a magnificent feat.  We had a goal we thought would be tough to reach and ended up doubling it!  I especially enjoyed my children learning how blessings can come to those who are willing to help others.

Thanks to everyone who supported us in this.

To the family we helped, WE LOVE YOU!

Spring Break Broke the Bank!

We had a FUN-tastic Spring Break this year!  It started off with a relaxing Easter, in which I had to let Syler color my egg because 2 wasn't enough.  He would have preferred all 12!

Then we headed off to Vegas for a short family vacation!  We hiked a trail in Red Rock Canyon, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Lied (pronounced Leed) Childrens' Discovery Museum, and had a blast at the pool!  We also took a day trip to St. George to watch the beautiful Cadence perform at her dance competition!  Even Zander agreed the vacation was a hit--and that's tough to come by.

Here are (quite) a few pictures of our trip!

I Love My Girls!

How exciting!!  A couple weeks ago got a surprise phone call from one of my dearest friends.  That's right, our other dearest friend was in town (for about a minute) and we got to have lunch with her and her girls!  I can't tell you how much I love these ladies and their children.  I don't know how I would have made it through my teenage years without them.  They'll never know the depth of the love I feel for them.  I love you Annalyn and Andrea!!!

Madness in March!

I can't believe this crazy month is almost over! 

A lot of crazy things have happened this month--maybe they were just big, bad and ugly so they seem like a lot.  Hmm...

Anyway, the best thing that happened was Baxter went on his first overnighter with Scouts!  He had a blast and couldn't wait to tell me every step of it.  There were bison, hikes in the rain, pranks with scout leaders, everything that makes a scout camping trip fun.   He made sure to tell me all the things we didn't have packed--mess kit, pocket knife, mattress.  (Mom thinks it's time Baxter learns to pack for himself.)  Guess we'll make a master list for Scout camps. 

I waited to post this so I could include pictures, but I don't know where Baxter put his camera. 

Good-bye March!  Welcome April.

Why do LDS women stress?

As Latter-day Saint women, we are practically obsessed with anxiously engaging ourselves in good causes. Maybe it's subliminal.

Glancing through the hymnal last Sunday I noted that as sisters in Zion, we who are called to serve are all enlisted to go marching, marching forward because the world has need of willing men to all press on scattering sunshine. We wonder if we have done any good in the world today because we have been given much and want to do what is right, keep the commandments, press forward with the Saints, choose the right, and put our shoulders to the wheel going where He wants us to go. However, as the morning breaks high on the mountaintop, truth reflects upon our senses, and while we still believe that sweet is the work, we also realize that we have work enough to do ere the sun goes down.

And thus we ask Thee ere we part, where can we turn for peace?

(I found this on a friend's blog and LOVED it!)

You ate WHAT?!

The other night was Ladies' Night!

We experienced sushi--Marysia's favorite dish.  It was a fabulous time filled with family and fun!  I love spending time with my sisters as well as nieces and respective lady in-laws. We sincerely missed: 1 sister, 1 sister-in-law, and 1 niece-in law.  (Also missing were several nieces not quite age-eligible for Ladies' Night.)

Thanks, Ladies, for making it such a great night!

Note to self: Seaweed does not taste good in any form.

Birthday Boy

Baxter celebrated his 11th birthday last week!  We had a great time with the two-part celebration.  First up was home-made dinner and cake (we had to get creative with the candles)

along with a school activity--Zoomania.

Then yesterday we went to the cinema for a showing of The Lightening Thief!  We also dined out at Applebee's. 

Baxter had a great time and appreciated all the birthday wishes.  Thanks, everyone!

MAJOR SCOUTING EVENT!

On February 17th we celebrated 100 years of scouting at the blue and gold banquet! My boys worked so hard to get where they are now in scouts.

Zander moved up to bears in December, but due to timing, they didn't publicly welcome him until this night.

Baxter celebrated his last night in Cub Scouts. He received so many awards I lost count, but the most important was his Arrow of Light!

(Syler had fun celebrating with them.)

Congratulations, Boys. I'm so proud of you both!

January

How is it that we're already into month two of 2010?

January went by in a blur, mostly because Spencer got his annual illness and had to take a week off. Don't worry, Zander and Syler kept him company during his drug riddled vacation from work. Baxter and I were the only ones to remain healthy--thanks in large part to the vitamins and Airborne we took daily.

I'm pretty sure any resolutions we made for the new year have been left forgotten by the wayside. I know mine periodically scamper through my mind only to be shoved aside by habit and, let's face it, hunger.

On a happy note, my sister, Audra, brought a miracle into this world! I'm extremely excited to enjoy the rest of this year (and many more to come) getting to know Sweet Alda Mae! What a perfectly healthy, BEAUTIFUL baby girl.
Audra definitely deserves such a blessing in her life. Congratulations, Audra.

Christmas and New Years

What a year that was! The holiday season was great! I like to think my boys enjoyed the giving as much as the getting. (Well, almost as much.) I'm hoping Santa cuts back a bit next Christmas.









We spent New Year's Eve with our good friends. We love having them over for games and bringing in the new year with them. Sy didn't really enjoy the moose calling Zander produced for his new years cheer, but he learned to laugh at it. Good times!




Here's to a great 2010 filled with even more sharing and caring!!!