December Is The Best

December and 2011 are coming to a close. As we finish out the month, I just wanted to post some pictures of what we have been up to over the last week or so. The first pictures show Adam, Rebecca and their friend Skylar decorating Christmas cookies (and eating them too). It's a good activity to keep everyone busy while we are waiting for Christmas to arrive. :)

The next pictures are a few from Christmas Day and one of our Nativity re-enactment from Christmas Eve. The cast is as follows: Adam is the Baby Jesus, Rachel is Mary, Tanner is Joseph. Rebecca is the Inn Keeper as well as a Shepherd. Josh and Jared are 2 of the 3 Kings and Gaylene is the Angel. David is the narrator and the picture taker.

We did manage to squeeze in a day of skiing with my 2 brothers and some of their kids. We had a great time but I didn't take any pictures.

Next are some pictures of Adam on his birthday. He turned 7 on December 28th. We sang to him at breakfast time with candles in his waffles. Then he opened a few presents and in the afternoon he and his brother and sisters plus a few friends went to Classic Skating for 3 hours. They had a blast!! Happy Birthday ADAM!!!

This last picture is a picture of David and me on our wedding day... December 29, 1988 (No laughing allowed - we really were old enough to get married legally). Today we celebrate our 23rd anniversary and I just want to put it in the record that I have the best husband ever. He makes me so happy and I look forward to forever with him. I love you David!!

Skiing.... Finally

I finally got to go skiing. I've been waiting for more snow but it is too slow in coming. Park City got 3 inches of new snow last night so we went today. Notice only 4 kids in the picture. Rachel was home sick so she didn't get to go. She was very sad. The snow that was there was great, there just wasn't much of it so a lot of the runs are still closed but we had a great time and can't wait to go again.

 

Tanner, Adam, Joshua, Rebecca

Happy 16th Tanner!!!

Tanner turned 16 a couple of days ago. Happy Birthday!! He got a long board which was on his list, although he won't get much use out of it until summer time. We had root beer floats instead of cake at his request and he will be getting his driver's license ASAP. He's hoping by the end of this week but for sure next week. I'll have to post the day he gets it. :)

 

 

I Love My Sewing Room

I have been enjoying my sewing/craft room and this is a picture of Adam wearing my latest creations. I made fleece pjs for Adam and Rebecca (Adam has one pair on in this picture).

I had leftover fabrics from other projects and decided to make Adam a jacket. It was quick and easy and he really likes it. That is the true test. If they like it and want to wear it, then I did good. :)

A Scrap Tree

I saw a cute Christmas tree in a catalog made out of fabric with buttons all over it. It wasn't really in my budget though so I decided to be a copycat and just make one myself with all the scraps of material and buttons I have in my craft room. This is how it turned out. It looks really cute standing in the corner by my bookshelves. Rachel drew the pattern for me and then I just went from there adjusting it to whatever materials I had. If nothing else, it was a fun creative project that didn't take more than a few hours and didn't cost a cent. :)

The Tree Finally Got Decorated!

Last night was the night for tree decorating. We are a little later than usual this year but better late than never. :) We always have fun puttin

g the ornaments on because so many of them remind us of special events and wonderful people in our lives. Baby's first Christmas, different vacations we've been on, people who have given them to us, those that have been made by the kids over the years.... all bring back good memories.

We missed Tanner who was downstairs working hard on his homework. Sometimes school just has to come first. I'm proud of him for working so hard and keeping his grades up.

Halloween Fun

Halloween kind of snuck up on us this year. It seemed to arrive suddenly. It's a good thing we had pumpkins in the garden (although several were still green) and we had a box full of costumes. As always, it was lots of fun to trick-or-treat and the weather cooperated this year by giving us a nice mild evening. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Shorter, Curlier and Way Cute!

Rebecca got her hair cut today and she is so happy to be rid of all that long hair that constantly gets in her way. Doesn't she look cute?

Milestones

Are the fall leaves beautiful or what? I went for a little hike yesterday in Corner Canyon with our dog, Ace. It was a beautiful afternoon and the leaves were so pretty. The picture doesn't really capture it well but it was gorgeous. It was a nice hike and it gave me time to reflect on the past few weeks. We've had so many momentous events and it all happened so fast.

We picked up Jared from his mission in the Philippines. We met him in Catarman and then spent the week visiting the different areas of his mission. It was a wonderful trip and I really enjoyed seeing where he had been for 2 years and I loved meeting all the people. Everyone was so nice and made us feel very welcome. I am really glad we got to go.

Right after we got back, Rachel turned the big 13. She is now officially a teenager!! Woohoo! We went out to dinner at the Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant) to celebrate. Happy Birthday Rachel!

David's mom, Virginia, took care of the kids at home while we were picking up Jared. A big THANK YOU to her!! Since she was already in Utah, we decided to do many things all at once so she could also be a part of everything. The Sunday after we got home was the BIG day. It started out with Jared giving his homecoming talk in sacrament meeting and then we had a lunch back at our house for all the family and friends who came. Also at church, Josh received his Duty to God Award. I am so proud of both Joshua and Jared for being such good examples of following the Lord. In the afternoon, Josh was ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood by his father. Many family members and friends were able to stand in the circle for that ordination and it was a little awe inspiring to see so many worthy men all gathered around my son.

In the evening we had a double Eagle Court of Honor for Joshua and Tanner. It was a great evening and we even had a live eagle come and the owner gave a presentation about Eagles and Eagle Scouts. It was really awesome. I am so proud of Josh and Tanner for finishing their projects and becoming Eagle Scouts!!

Our 3 Eagle Scout sons. AWESOME!!

Thank you to all our family who came to support us and our children. It was a crazy busy day but it sure was fun!!

GO ADAM!!!

Tanner's Eagle Project

Tanner decided to paint a map of the U.S. at the school on the black top. It was a fun project, he did great planning it and raising money to fund it, and it looks really awesome.



We also did Hawaii and Alaska which aren't pictured here.

A Facelift for the Kitchen

I've always liked my kitchen but the counter tops made me feel a little glum. We decided to pick out some cool granite and add a full tile backsplash to add some interest and beauty. Now I love my kitchen. :) Thanks David.

BEFORE AFTER

Here is a closeup of the granite so you can see the design in it better.

The Lion and the Lamb?

The lizard generally eats crickets. Yesterday though, this cricket was hanging out on the lizard's back without a worry in the world. Too bad for the cricket that Tony did finally get hungry. :)

Adam Scores

Adam decided to take a break from soccer and try something new. He is playing flag football with a bunch of boys from our neighborhood and he is loving it. The 2 video clips capture a little bit of his offensive and defensive skills. The big one is of him making a touchdown so be sure to watch the ball. The little one shows him keeping the other team from getting their extra point by grabbing the flags just before he enters the end zone. If you can't get out of video play mode after watching the clip, you should be able to click the mouse on it again and it will close.

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Rachel Got Her Braces Off!

She is so happy and she can't stop smiling.

A New School Year Has Begun

All the kids are back in school. Today is the first day I have been home all day by myself and I have very mixed emotions. It's so nice to have it be quiet and have some time to myself but at the same time I am a little bit lonely. All my babies are growing up! It's so exciting and yet time is going by so quickly.

Rachel was the first on Monday at 6:55 a.m. Then Tanner headed out to Alta H.S. on Monday at 7:25 a.m. After he left, things were quiet for a little while until Rebecca left at 8:45 a.m. Adam didn't start until Tuesday because he's in 1st grade. So his first full day was Tuesday starting at 8:45 a.m. Joshua left today for BYU. His orientation was starting at 9:00 a.m. so he headed out at about 8:15. Classes won't start for him until Monday though. In fact, I think he's coming back home this weekend. :)



Top: Rachel, Tanner
Bottom: Rebecca, Adam and Rebecca with all the kids who walk to school together

Peak to Peak

Friday, August 12th, Josh and his friend Hayden started hiking up Lone Peak by our house so they could watch the meteor shower from a high point on the mountain. They had a great view of the meteor shower and then Josh decided to climb to the very top of Lone Peak on Saturday. The next slideshow is about his hike.

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Josh got home on Saturday afternoon with very, very sore legs but we left the next evening to head up to the Uintas so we could hike to the top of Kings Peak (the highest mountain in Utah). I think his legs were sore the whole time but of course, he outhiked us all. I took Josh, Tanner and Rachel to do the hike. David would have liked to have gone but he stayed home to work and Rebecca and Adam are to little to do such a long, hard hike.

We started hiking on Monday morning and camped just over Gunsight Pass. We made it to the top of Kings Peak on Tuesday. So Josh was at the top of Lone Peak on Saturday and then 72 hours later he was on the top of Kings Peak. Wow! It was a 28.5 mile round trip hike from the trailhead to the top and back again. It took us 3 days and I think it's the hardest thing I have ever done. It was awesome though and very thrilling to get to the top. It was really amazing. Here are some pictures and video from our trip.

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Dinner From the Garden

YUM!

Swim Lessons - Adam

Adam took swim lessons again this summer and he passed Level 3. He had to do backstroke, freestyle (breathing to the side), tread water for 30 seconds, dive, etc. He did a great job and is ready to move on next year. He actually is thinking that he will join the swim team with Rebecca. That would be fun!

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Swim Team - Rebecca

Rebecca finished her swim season a little early since we went on vacation but she had a great season. She improved her time with every race and she won several first place ribbons. GOOD JOB REBECCA!

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Gaylene's New Do

What do you think? I think I like it but it is just so different. My very good friend who usually does my hair just had a baby and is moving soon too so I figured it was time to find a new hair stylist. I told her to just do what she thought would look good and do something that was easy for me to take care of (I hate doing my hair). I think I like it. :)

Uintas

David and Joshua went backpacking last week for 3 days with the Priests. They went up into the Uintas to the Naturalist Basin. They said it was really beautiful and they had a great time.

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Ace a.k.a. Harry

We went to see Harry Potter in 3D so we got these fancy 3D glasses. Rachel removed the lenses and tried them on Ace. Doesn't he look magical? Or at least smart? HaHa

Camping and Backpacking

Last week we took our family down to southern Utah for some camping and backpacking. We camped at Cedar Canyon which is about 30 minutes north of the Kolob Canyon entrance to Zions National Park. We camped there for 2 days then went backpacking for 3 days and 2 nights in Kolob Canyon. On our drive down there we made a spontaneous stop at Cove Fort which is a refurbished fort built by the Mormons. It was really interesting and I'm glad we stopped. I have listed some of the things we did and saw and then I attached a slideshow with pictures and videos of our trip.

*Had 3 Dutch Oven meals - YUM
*Josh and David hiked to Angel's Landing (5 miles round trip)
*Met a lady who was 85, still working in the gift shop, has 16 kids, 92 grandkids, and 6 great grandkids. WOW!
*Had big fires and burned anything we could find
*Played cards
*Backpacked about 13 miles in all (10 with packs)
*Saw lots of beetles and named them according to the alphabet
*Laughed a lot
*Put at least 7 frogs on Josh at the same time - he looked like frog man
*Saw the "largest natural arch in the world" - Kolob Arch
*Skipped rocks
*Jumped off rocks into a river
*Filtered water
*Ate melted Snickers Bars
*Took the shuttle in Zion National Park
*Died of heat on the way up to Angel's Landing (at least Gaylene did)
*Saw billions of stars
*Saw a wild turkey (Josh saw it anyway)
*Named every Disney movie we could think of and also candy bars
*Tanner and Rachel recited the entire movie of Finding Nemo
*Got dirty
*Got wet
*Got very, very tired
*Had a great time

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