Christmas

Our Christmas was once again a good one. We enjoyed cheese fondue at Craig and Gail's and then headed home to open gifts from the grandparents and open our new pj's. We also made cookies for Santa. Then it was off to bed...

We all went to bed at a decent time and awoke at a surprising late time of 9:00am. The kids were so excited when they went to bed that we thought for sure that they would be up early. The kids don't even sleep in that late on Saturday so we all must of been tired. We had to rush and see what Santa brought and then get ready for church by 11:00a. We made it to church on time and then headed back home to open more presents and played with our new toys.

We spent the rest of the day at our house enjoying our little family and ate a yummy roast dinner with Chocolate pie.

Buddy..Our Elf

Our 'elf' this year got quite creative in his spots around the house this year. He is our elf that keeps an watchful eye on us during the month of December and reports his observations to the big man Santa. He would land in a new spot every day and we got some good giggles on were he landed that day. Below are some shots of Buddy the elf in action.

We liked the one where he was in Ashlynn's Barbie car being held up by the army guys. Ashlynn also gave buddy some candy canes and then he would take them with him where ever he was in the house. Now that Christmas is over our elf has lost his magical power and now sits in his book box to rest and wait for the next Christmas.

Treats..

These were our treats that we handed out this year. The white chocolate covered Oreo snowmen were for the kids classes. The gingerbread and drizzled chocolate popcorn were neighbor gifts. We had fun making them all, which was alot.

Family night with the elves..

We have made this outing one of our family traditions. We find all the elves listed on the scavenger hunt list and turn our papers in to get an award. We also browse through all the shops decked out for Christmas. Then, we head to Archibald's to warm up on some yummy warm food. They have Ashlynn's favorite macaroni and cheese. The place is a hit in her book if the place has that dish.

We had fun finding all the funny things the elves were doing especially the elf that was actually snoring in the camper. This was the first time one of the elves made noise.

A very cold night...

We had a family night at Temple square before Christmas. It was very cold, but we wintered through it and enjoyed the lights around the square. There were also lots of other people enjoying the scenery and out of all the people around us we ran into some old neighbors of ours. It was such a delight to hang around together. We also stopped in the new Deseret Book downtown and saw their pretend gingerbread cookie machine and they were handing out real gingerbread cookies. They were delicious!

We liked the new nativity sets that were placed around the square. Not sure if they were new, but we have never saw them. So they were new to us.

Speed Stacking

The kids school participated in the 'Stack it up' Guinness World Records contest. They participated with other schools country wide to beat a record. I am not sure if they made the record, but I did want to point out that this sport (yes it is a competitive sport) is one that Carter is really good at.

He was introduced to the cup stacking sport last year in PE and he kept telling me that he needed these cups that stack and so that he can show me how fast he is. I tried to give him paper cups and I guess there are special cups you use. So we hopped online last year and bought him is own set with a professional mat with a timer. Every time he walks in his room he runs through the cycle and over the last year his speed to run through the whole cycle has improved. So during the school contest he was the 3rd Grade Champion and came in second for the whole school..yay!

Since, then his PE teacher came up to me at school and told me that Carter should try out for the state cup stacking team. I guess they have a state team that plays against others. There is a boy that is 11 that is from our area that competes on the state team as well. I was just surprised that there was even a team out there. So, the tournament is this Spring. We will see what happens in the Cup Stacking World.

During the contest Ashlynn liked to make castles with her cups. She likes to show her creative side. She is so funny!

Fall Basketball

Carter just finished up Fall Basketball. It is amazing how much skills you remember from one year to another. I think it also helped to have his own hoop at home to practice with. He mostly played point guard, so he passed the ball alot and only shot the ball a few times. He still had fun!

Beware..lots of pink and pictures...

My niece had her wedding on Friday and it was such a fun and beautiful day. Ashlynn loved being part of the wedding as a flower girl. She had been looking forward to this day for months and the day had finally come. She even skipped school because she wasn't feeling well so she hung out with us all day before the other kids got out of school. Silly girl..she just couldn't hold in her excitement. We loved being able to share this special day with Jessica and Anthony. I just had so many good pictures that I wanted to document.
The sealing in the Bountiful Temple was such a amazing experience to be apart of. It brought back memories of our wedding.

The reception was full of excitement as well. We got to mingled with people that we haven't seen in a while since moving to Layton.
The poor little boys just wanted to get away from all the wedding stuff. You would always find them playing some electronic device away from all the people or getting food.

Congratulations to the new married couple! We wished them off on their merry way with a line of sparklers.

Our "Elf " tree

Last year the kids and I hit the after Christmas sales and decided that we wanted to put together a "elf" tree for this year. We all forgot until we opened up our Christmas buckets last week and saw all the new stuff for the tree. It was such a nice surprise since we have had the same snowman tree for the last several years. The tree is very fun and crazy, but we like it! Let the Christmas season begin...

Idaho Thanksgiving

Our family spent Thanksgiving 2011 in Idaho. We had limited time, but we managed to see most of our families. We enjoyed visiting and spending the holiday with all of them. We first had Thanksgiving dinner at Tom and Frankie's which Craig did an excellent job preparing. Then, Tracy, Gail and I headed out for some crazy Black Friday shopping that started at 9pm on Thanksgiving night, Crazy! We had such a great time that we kind of forgot that we stood in so many lines. We ended our shopping spree at 5am and ate breakfast at Ihop then we all took a nap. It was great!

Then it was off to my mom's place where we had another dinner and got caught up on life. My mom had all the her Christmas gifts together so we were sent home with them. We then visited Great Grandma and my Dad. We all were very thankful that we could fit in to see everyone. Our suv was so full and packed tight that we had to leave a few things behind to be brought down in a few weeks. We felt like we were driving Santa's sleigh with all the Christmas gifts inside plus our luggage.

I like the sign that says "Line forms here" because we got to that point after waiting in line for about 2 hours getting ready to check out. It made us chuckle. Tracy had to snap a photo of the animal crackers because this was toward the end of the line and we had to stand in front of the snack aisle. We saw these two buckets of crackers just sitting there with a sign that said buy one get one free so, we had to get them. We then dove into them in the car because we were a little on the hungry side and had to refuel for more hours of shopping. Good times!!

What's the girl up to...

Ashlynn has been her social self these days. She was invited to a "Fancy" party where she had to dress in her fancy clothes. The picture below is what she came up with. She then wanted photos taken of her with her "Fancy" outfit. She is so funny! We also included a picture in her Indian get-up that she made at school from her "Pow Pow" party.

Carter's Piano Recital

Carter got to show off his piano skills at his piano recital. His song was the "Star Wars Main Theme". He was so nervous that he couldn't contain himself in his chair. We were so glad that he was second on the line up so he could relax for the rest of the performances. Carter did so well! He has only been in lessons for 8 months and he has picked it up really fast. We are so grateful for his very talented and fun teacher Christa. She is so good with all the kids and Carter loves going to lessons. We were so fortunate to find her through my sister-in-law Tracy. Thanks Tracy for the referral!

We were excited that family could support Carter.
He looks so sharp!

Football

Carter just finished up his first year of football. We opted to try out flag football because we wanted to try out this sport before he went into the real football league. Carter enjoyed his time and learned a lot about the sport. He scored several touchdowns and now understands more about the sport when he watches it on TV. He definitely wants to play tackle football next year, but we will see what we decide. He is a little sad that the season is over, but he still is playing backyard football with anyone that will play with him (including his sister) and she isn't scared to tackle him to the ground. It was fun to watch him get excited about touchdowns, making fun plays and grabbing the other team's flags to get them down. I love that at one of the first games the sprinklers turned on and the boys were playing the game with them on. What dedication and the boys thought it was fun when the weather was warmer, not so much now with it being colder. We were making hot chocolate after the last few games. Can't wait for next football season.

School Halloween Carnival

We has so much fun last year at the school carnival that we had been looking forward to it again this year. I didn't disappoint again. The kids loved seeing all their classmates and faculty dressed up and there is a activity in every classroom.

Halloween excitement

Halloween has come and gone by again. Our family enjoys this holiday and all its craziness. Our neighborhood had their annual trunk or treat and then we hit the streets. Ashlynn was done after the trunk or treat and did not want to be out when it got dark. She says the scary people come out at night. So, she and her friend Ava handed out candy at Ava's house. Carter and his friends went out with the mom's and scored a ton of treats. Matt missed the entire night due to having to be at work so long at the office. He was very bummed because he had been working the past 3 weeks on his scare for the trick or treaters. Well, it still turned out to be a good night and the weather was great!

Pumpkin Time

We were able to squeeze in some time to carve pumpkins spread out between a couple of days with our crazy schedules. The kids were more involved with the process this year. Carter dug right in and started pulling out the guts of the pumpkins. He surprises me everyday what he does new. He used to not want his hands to get messed up in anyway. Now look at him! Ashlynn thought it was too messy and wanted gloves, but then that didn't work out so good. All in all their pumpkins turned out festive for the holiday.

Pumpkin Patch

Our annual pumpkin patch adventure was a little cold with lots of mosquitoes. We grew our own pumpkins this year, but we only got 4 little ones. We had to get a couple big ones to carve. So, our trip was short and a fun photo opportunity.

Kids Halloween party

The kids had their annual Halloween party and it was full of action with 12 kids. Since the kids are getting older it seems their invite list is getting bigger. I started this party when Ashlynn was 3 and Carter was 5 and they would each invite a few friends, now it has turned a little too big for me to handle it all. I just might have to limit invitees or recruit more help. My neighbor offered to help next year so we will see what we do. I have already begun thinking of ideas. We love doing this fun party and it has become our family tradition.

Its what fear is...

Its what fear is...was Lagoon's frightmares theme and it was very fearful for Ashlynn. Once it started to get dark she was so scared of every scary costume that roamed the place. All the kids wanted to go through the haunted houses and Ashlynn kept bolting towards the exit and not caring about anything else but to get out. So, Matt took her to kiddie land and that is where they stayed most of the night while the rest of us finished up the haunted walk throughs. Her and Matt had a great time together going through straw mazes, getting prizes and rode some rides together. So it didn't turn out to be so bad for her after all. She came home with lots of fun things. Meanwhile, we have discovered that Carter likes to go through haunted houses. He went through the scariest one there with Matt and another Dad. The moms and the other kids didn't dare go through it. It looked way too scary! Carter was just fine with it. I was so shocked that he wanted to go through it again. Crazy kid! It was so fun to be around all the fun Halloween things. People roamed the park with their costumes on trying to scare you and chain saw people running their machines. We had a great time!

What a fun way to end our Lagoon season.

Time well spent...

While the kids were off track we had some beautiful warm fall days to take advantage of. One afternoon we spent time at the city park. We never do this anymore, so we got some ice cream and chilled at the park for a while. It was so quiet and peaceful. The kids felt like they were skipping school because there was no one their age to play with just little kids. We then fed the ducks and walked a small part of the walking path. It brought back memories of the park days is Boise with our friends when the kids were little. It was definitely time spent well.

All girl...

Ashlynn was invited to a princess party and was dressed as Beauty and the Beast 'Belle". Come to find out there was 3 other 'Belle's. She looked so cute.

Also, her six weeks was up and she was able to change out her earrings for some different ones. She took such good care of her ears and kept them very clean. These little dangly earrings are her favorite. She is so proud of newly pierced ears.

The Gymnist...

Ashlynn was very certain that she did not want to do dance this year. She wants to continue with gymnastics. I told her that she would not have any dance performances or fun dress up outfits to dance in and she was completely fine with it. When people ask her how dance is going she lets them know that she is not a dancer this year and that she is in gymnastics. It is so funny. She is loving it and I am very impressed with her abilities. She has almost mastered the kart wheel and she is working on her back flip and other flips on the bars. I have to say that I am not missing the dancing either. I thought it was a good choice of hers to take a break from it.

Swimming lessons

The kids have been off track of school for the past 3 weeks and we have been filling the time. They had their annual fall swimming lessons and they both did great. Ashlynn has finally passed level 3 and moving on to level 4, yeah! Carter is still trying to master those tricky under the water turns and distance swimming in level 5. Ashlynn just might catch up to him. Carter is still the youngest in his swimming class trying to keep up with the older kids, but he is doing great! You would never have thought this kid was once scared of the water when he was younger.

The missing tooth...

Ashlynn has been waiting for the day that she could loose a tooth. All her friends have lost some, and she has been feeling left out. The dentist said that all her teeth may fall out all at once and she did not like that idea. Finally, the day has come and she wiggled the tooth out within a few days. She wanted no help when pulling it out. She now feels very satisfied and proud of her new gap in her smile. What a cutie!

A Happy Day..

My birthday was on the 4th and we had fun celebrating. Our family has been so busy lately that it is hard to tag down a time that we can all be together so, we started the day bright and early with breakfast at a new restaurant in town called Kneaders. Their caramel french toast was so yummy! This is now my favorite bread place! Then we were off to our daily obligations. Later that night we had yummy cupcakes from another favorite place of mine (Sugar Daisy bakery) given to me by my friend Kristy. I had so many treats brought to me on my birthday that I was definitively treated out. And that is hard to do because I am a treat person. So, thanks Kristy for my birthday cupcakes. Thanks to all those that called, texted and emailed birthday wishes to me. I appreciated them all! I especially love my new Minky blanket that Matt got me. It is the most heavenly, softest, cuddly blanket that I have come across and it was made just for me. It was a great day!

Lagoon Summer Fun

With school starting our Lagoon summer fun has ended, but now we can enjoy the park in the fall too. Lagoon is open on the weekends so we will fit in some Saturday fun days. We also like to go and enjoy the Frightmare adventures in October. This year Ashlynn is now tall enough to ride more of the big thriller rides. Believe it or not...her favorite ride is the Wicked roller coaster that goes straight up and down and does several twists that go upside down. She just loves it! We have had some great memories this summer with friends and just our family. One memory of mine is when the park just opened for the season and the weather was still slightly cold, Carter and Lauren (our neighbor) wanted to ride Rattlesnake Rapids, but it was a little too cold for me to get wet. I sent them to ride without me and there was no line (because it was so cold). I waited for them and kept seeing them going around the river a few times because the lagoon workers said they could stay on the ride because there was no one waiting to get on. So, they went around and around the huge river with big rapids soaking them. (That never happens that you don't have to get off the ride) We left this ride for the end of day because I new that they would be freezing when they got out, but they had so much fun. Little goof balls! We definitely enjoy our time here!

Boys at 40 Pines

Matt and Carter had a boys weekend at the cabin with grandpa Tom. Carter said he had a fun time being there. He did say that he was a little lonely because he didn't have his other cousins there to play around with. He still had a great time with dad and grandpa, although they probably don't feel the same. Carter tends to be a little on the high energy side for some and doesn't want to miss out on anything, I mean anything! We just love this kid.

Girls Weekend...

The boys went to the cabin for the weekend and we had fun having Ashlynn and mom time. We went to dinner, shopped at the mall, spent some time at Lagoon, visited a friend in the hospital and then Ashlynn decided she wanted her ears pierced. I was slightly hesitant because I wanted to wait until her 8th birthday, but I thought maybe this is my window to get it done. I got to thinking would if she didn't want them pierced later. So, we went for it...she was so good that she didn't even flinch in the chair or even shed a tear. She said that she was kind of nervous and that her hands were sweaty..she is so cute! She has been very good about being careful with them and reminding me to clean them. The Hello Kitty earrings are perfect for her since she has to wear them for 6 weeks before she can change them out. Ashlynn is so excited about her new pierced ears.

Garden excitement

Our Garden is producing like crazy. We have ate so many yummy things from it. The kids like going out and picking things. They had a blast shucking the corn. It has been fun watching things grow.

Patio Edition

Matt took on another project. We always liked are back patio deck, but felt like it was closed off from the yard. So, Matt took down the side railing and attached it to the other side of the deck with the big stairs down to the cement pad. He also took out the stairs on that side and made a smaller stair case and we are in the process of building a storage and garden shed in place of the big steps (Another post later with pictures of that project.) Matt then made this beautiful edition to the existing patio. It is now more enjoyable to sit out on under the shade trees. We now have to sand and stain the patio to be the same color.

Camp out!

We had our Ward Camp Out last weekend and we had fun living in the great outdoors for a night. We camped at Valley View Stake Camp in Eden and it was he most beautiful camping spot I have ever been to. That isn't saying much though since I have only been camping maybe less than ten times in my whole life. This place was hit for me they had a huge lodge that we ate and played our games in. The best part was we had a full kitchen with a fridge, oven and running water. It was perfect not having to worry about bringing ice and cooking outside with all the bugs. I know most campers like the whole outside experience, but I thought it was perfect. The camp also had a very nice outdoor pool that was surrounded by pine trees and had a awesome view of the valley down below. We played minute-to-win-it games, ate very yummy food and told funny stories around the fire at night and of course we had smores. It was the perfect summer night with a full moon so it kept the sky lit to walk around without a flash light.

I was very glad to be alive after sleeping in a tent after we were told when we arrived at camp that there was a bear sighting at the camp in the last 10 days and were told not to have any food in the tent areas. I did not sleep much that night. The kids slept like logs with out a care in the world. We then went swimming and headed home.

The fruits of our labor

Matt made these garden boxes this past Spring and I thought they turned out great looking. He spent quite a bit of time planning, cutting and sealing the wood. He even connected a drip watering system in garden as well. Where did all these talents come from? He also put solar lights on top of the posts. We then layed weed block on the bottom of the boxes and filled them with soil and to our surprise we actually got some produce growing. The best part is that we have not had a single weed grow through the week block barrier. The garden looks so neat tidy with no weeds. Our pumpkins are taking over one of the boxes as well as the cucumbers. We have already enjoyed some tomatoes and cucumbers, they were delish! We are waiting to see if we acturally get corn off the stalks that are growing.

Airborne

We had a family day and spent some time at Airborne Arena. It is a place that is full of side by side trampolines and foams pits you can jump into. This place was very fun, but is quite the full body workout. When you are done jumping you feel like your are still jumping when you are walking on the floor. We liked being able to do tricks against the wall trampolines. Very fun! We then headed to the famous IKEA store for lunch and to check out their fun things they have there.

Back to school...

We are back in school..and are still playing like it is summer break. This is going to be difficult to keep a decent bedtime, but we will try our best. We are still hanging out at Lagoon, have a camping trip planned and having plenty of water afternoons. The kids were excited to head back and see friends that they don't see around the neighborhood.

Ashlynn is in 1st grade and is excited about being able to play on the big playground with the rest of the kids. The Kindergartner's had their own little playground last year. She is also looking forward to eating lunch at school this year. She is ready and has her new lunch bag. I am little sad that I won't have my lunch buddy anymore. It is going to be slightly different around the house without her. Even though she is a self entertainer, it was nice to have her around for laughs and to hear her interesting stories.
Carter had mixed feelings about starting a new year. One of his favorite friends is not in his class this year and that kind of bummed him out a little. But, he is excited that he has a very nice teacher this year. He is just a ball of energy and needed to get back to a schedule before he drove us all out of the house. I can't wait for all the new things he is going to accomplish this year. He is such a sweet boy and definitely a charmer. I am confident he is going to make more friends.

Here we go...